Hand scan could limit kids' Net access

Future PCs may bar children from Internet sites by using an ultrasound device to gauge their age from a hand bone.

The technology, known as Age-Group Recognition (AGR), is the brainchild of Israeli company i-Mature. The company has teamed with security technology firm RSA to develop the technology for the consumer PC market.

"Both organizations recognize the safety concerns associated with using the Internet and look forward to collaborating on a solution that will empower children to protect themselves from inappropriate Web content and online predators," Shmuel Levin, founder and CEO of i-Mature, said in a statement Monday.

To access a site that required authentication, a person would place their fist against the device. Using ultrasound, the i-Mature measures the bone density of the longest bone in a middle finger to determine a person's age.

The company didn't reveal how accurate the age estimate would be, but said the target is 100 percent accuracy in dividing Net users into children 13 and under and adults 18 and older. The company has already created prototypes of the device.

The companies envision the technology as a way to limit access to chat rooms and Web sites. It could be combined with other identity-credentials or biometric technology to help identify surfers.

The technology can be housed in a standalone device or integrated into the keyboard of a PC or laptop, and the target price is about $25, i-Mature said on its Web site. The company plans to complete the product design by June and intends to market the device for use in PCs in public places such as libraries, schools and airports.

The collaboration includes both research and development of the technology as well as joint marketing of products.

please, dont

why does anything with the words "limit net access" not sound
appealing to me? This is, i suppose, a well intentioned invention
-- but *not* one that should ever come built into PCs. Firstly it
would increase price, and secondly i dont feel that web browsers
should have limited access in any way, shape, or form. Secondly,
all of the proposed "limitations" in their various forms are
beginning to make me wonder just how free we will be in a very
close future. Am i the only one who cant help thinking of 1984
whenever i read articles like this?

What it really comes down to though, is if its really worth it or
not. So maybe it stops a few highschool kids from beating off to
nude pictures of celebrities or something, but honestly, i couldnt
care less about who is doing what in the privacy of their home.

The wrong direction i could see this taking is like school
firewalls. Not only do they bar access to pornographic material
(which is fine by me as they are a school), but also many sites
that pertain to hacking/programming and other such knowledge
of the inner workings of computers. And they call themselves
schools!

This also gives web sites the knowledge of their average viewers
age, which in itself isnt so bad, but when coupled with other
seemingly small things (like whenever you use your Safeway card
they record your purchase and look for patterns between it and
previous purchases, among other things) it just seems a little
too much. This in itself is seemingly harmless, but it means
more information about you that is at the governments
fingertips -- just a warrant away. Call me paranoid if you like,
you're probably right, but i for one think the government has
plenty of power already, thank you very much.

-C. Wilson

[Al Johnsons]

thinking of 1984

http://www.analogstereo.com/vauxhall_zafira_owners_manual.htm