The role of Facebook in protecting the child
 Facebook and CEOP have been locked in battle for some weeks. CEOP - (Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre) is a UK government department dedicated to the protection of children. Amongst the services that it offers is a button that children can click and report suspicious activities on sites such as Myspace and Bebo. The report goes directly to CEOP, who review it, determine risk and take action where necessary.
Facebook has thus far refused to carry the button. They claim that their own reporting methods help them to identify suspected groomers and that they have links to US law enforcement that help them deal with suspected child abusers. This, they have stated, works very well thank you and there's no need to clutter their carefully designed website with more options.
Naturally CEOP are not happy and they've been doing the rounds bemoaning Facebook's "lack of cooperation." Unfortunately they're not putting their case very well.
This morning I listened as yet another official tried to state the case by using a motoring analogy. He suggested the button was like a speed limit sign on a road, giving the driver clear warning of what was expected. The analogy didn't quite work, and opens up another question: to drive a car you need to be trained and pass a test.
I am repeatedly surprised by the number of parents I encounter who don't understand Facebook, who seem to know "it might be a bit dodgy" and yet do nothing. What's worse, I know parents who allow their children to use Facebook even when they're under Facebook's stated minimum age, even setting up the accounts for them. This, to my mind, is the real problem with Facebook. Not a button. Not whether CEOP or the FBI are notified. But whether Facebook (or the web in general) is any place for an unsupervised child to be.
Not for one moment would I suggest that parents should be trawling their child's internet history - that breaks down trust. Talking about it, making a child aware of what the issues are, keeping involved and interested in what they are doing - that is the way to protect children.
More information aimed at Parents is available at thinkuknow.co.uk
Previously on this blog...
the global leader in Contact Center Consolidation 2.0
2.0 has become a meaningless addition to already poor tag lines.
A dozen beautiful images of Saturn
Wired presents a dozen of the best images from the Cassini mission
Setting up shop in a new country: beyond the website
Building a website for multiple languages is not just about translation. It is a critical business decision that has to be taken carefully.
Why call centre staff deserve your respect
If call centre staff set the first impression for your business, why do we treat them so badly?
Becoming a Specialist? A hard decision to make ...
Specialising requires hard strategic decisions to be made about your business.
When good people move on
Losing a member of staff to another company is not necessarily a bad thing
The quest for quality in Agile Software Development
Why quality assurance remains a central part of project management, regardless of the use of Agile methods
© 2010 Ross Hall. All Rights Reserved.
If you wish to use any of the content from this site please contact me.
All contents provided for information purposes only.
|
|
About Ross Hall