VeriSign Works to ID Kid Surfers
Dawn Kawamoto,
CNet News.com,
Feb 16, 2004
The idea is that kids will receive an ID token that they plug into their computer's USB prot that gives them access to kid-safe areas. Of course, given that adults control kids, it seems that they wouldn't be hard to come by. Nancy Willard, on WWWEDU, spots the larger problem. "Color me totally paranoid, but our kids are a major target for profilers andCRLFmarketers on the Internet. They are the demographic that is most comfortable with technology and has lots of spending (and nagging for spending) power. This system smells like SPYWARE-FOR-KIDS-R-US. Elsewhere in the article it notes the ability for kids to use these digital signatures to purchaseCRLFproducts." Nancy nails it. This system has nothing to do with protecting kids, because it won't. It has everything to do with marketing to kids, and using fear to push people into a closed marketplace.
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