"Software sold under the Sentry and FamilySafe brands can read private chats conducted through Yahoo, MSN, and AOL and other services, and send that data back to the company. The information is then offered to businesses seeking ways to tailor their marketing messages to kids. The data is then offered to businesses seeking ways to tailor their marketing messages to kids. According to the agreement, the software passes along data to "trusted partners.""
So is web monitoring that entirely safe? Do you find people reading your child's private thoughts comforting? Is it safe to have personal information, like what school they go to, who their friends are and what they're doing after school read just to keep your child from looking at what? Why do parents monitor their child's computer? To keep them from looking at what they assume they aren't old enough to see, to keep them barred from what they presume is evil. Why do parents believe monitoring their child's computer will keep them "safe?" They try and keep them out of chat rooms as if to keep them from making the stupid mistake of giving out personal information to a complete stranger when in fact the parents did that themselves already.
When brought up to some of the companies in question stated one competitor, CyberPatrol LLC, said it would never consider such an arrangement. "That's pretty much confidential information," said Barbara Rose, the company's vice president of marketing. "As a parent, I would have a problem with them targeting youngsters."
But others like EchoMetrix said that if parents don't want their child's information sold to businesses then they can well check a box not to, but this option is only available on their website; which most parents aren't even aware of.
And although EchoMetrix is ranked among the top 5 best for parent control, sales figures have never been included. According to EchoMetrix News Corps Fox Broadcasting, DreamWorks, Viacom, and Paramount pictures are all signed on for the leasing of private information; and when these companies were addressed none commented.
So what does that tell you there?
So tell me, is web monitoring safe?
2 comments:
I agree, but I also disagree. I normally don't think it's right to hack into people's information and conversations, but I've been at that irresponsible age where i have given out too much info. online, and I could've gotten myself into trouble. I guess it would be good to be able to see who my child was talking to or what they were saying online if anything ever happened to them, but that information shouldn't be released or seen if it is not necessary.
I hate that these software developers make it so difficult to find the options. The average user has a hard time "un-clicking" the marketing options.
One of the reasons why I changed my marketing major to communications. :)
Darn rigt unscrupulous if you ask me!
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