Actually business related

[Bhelliom]

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Two states are on the verge of trying to block porn and other inappropriate messages sent to children through e-mail, but critics question how the laws will be enforced and predict they could have unintended consequences.

Michigan and Utah have until Friday to create and operate registries of e-mail addresses similar to “do-not-call” lists. Businesses will have to buy copies of the registries and face prison time and fines if they send e-mail to any addresses that parents submit. The registries also can include instant-message addresses, cell phones and pager numbers.

Parry Aftab, an Internet safety expert with WiredSafety.org, said the laws were well-intentioned but flawed.

“Anytime anyone starts collecting lists of children, it’s subject to hacking and misuse,” Aftab said. “The last thing I want is anyone to have a large database of children.”

As with other Internet laws, critics say the registries probably won’t have much effect — largely because anti-spam laws have been difficult to enforce. Spam often originates from outside the country and from other states.

The Institute for Spam and Internet Public Safety, which runs conferences and other programs on e-mail marketing, is concerned that commercial e-mailers don’t know about the laws.

“We’ve talked with several top-tier e-mail marketing firms and e-mail service providers and they were all just stunned to learn that they need to start scrubbing their mailing lists against these registries next month or face criminal sanctions,” said Anne Mitchell, the group’s president.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/TechNews/TopPh...30/1111856.html

Personally I agree that it will be difficult to enfore but was well intentioned. However, Having said that, I also think that something like this could pose a few problems down the line.

Thoughts? you all know I'm a pretty new to this stuff so if its been tried before and I don't know about it how did it work out?

[MorganGrayson]

Originally posted by Bhelliom@Jun 30 2005, 06:21 AM
“Anytime anyone starts collecting lists of children, it’s subject to hacking and misuse,” Aftab said. “The last thing I want is anyone to have a large database of children.”

That is the part that frightens me. There is no way I'd submit my children's e-mail address to something like that. I found it much simpler to teach my children the skills they'd need to function on the internet. When they got their first e-mail accounts, they were told *never* to use their real names, *never* to give out their address or any personal information. They were also taught how to use the "delete" key.

It's impossible to protect children from everything that's out there. But passing laws in lieu of responsible parenting won't help.

Every pedophile hacker in the world will try to get into that list. A lot will succeed.

[Bhelliom]

Very true.

I agree that most of the responsibility should lie with the parents and not having them pass it off to someone else.

Of course, providing good tools to help parents protect their children is always a good thing. I think that AOL child filters and stuff are a great ideafor example, but by no means should they rely on that only.

[MorganGrayson]

Yes, parents should use all the tools at their disposal.
Especially the best one...sitting down and talking with their kids. Establishing an open, secure relationship so that if the child does encounter something, they can come to their parents and talk about it without fear of the parent over-reacting and yanking the computer out of their home.

[Bhelliom]

This actually isn't going in the direction I had in mind when I posted but interesting nonetheless.

Not being a parent myself, How do all of you (parents I mean) deal with this kind of issue with your kids? Obviously being part of the adult industry you have seen what goes on and have a fair bit more knowlege about the industry than Mary housewife that just got her first computer for her kids.

So how do you deal with your children when it comes to the "baser" side of the internet?

[Trev]

Originally posted by Bhelliom@Jun 30 2005, 04:08 PM
This actually isn't going in the direction I had in mind when I posted but interesting nonetheless.

Not being a parent myself, How do all of you (parents I mean) deal with this kind of issue with your kids? Obviously being part of the adult industry you have seen what goes on and have a fair bit more knowlege about the industry than Mary housewife that just got her first computer for her kids.

So how do you deal with your children when it comes to the "baser" side of the internet?

I've locked my nephews pc up so that he can only surf sites I add to the Approved Sites list in the IE content advisor. He can't even get to google unless I let him, I saw no other way of doing it.

[gonzo]

Originally posted by Bhelliom@Jun 30 2005, 10:08 AM


So how do you deal with your children when it comes to the "baser" side of the internet?

TVs and computers should not serve as surrogate parents.

[MorganGrayson]

Once the precedent is set, the "no spam" list can be expanded to include adults who don't want to receive any kind of "porn spam," with appropriate sanctions attatched.

It's an interesting "who do you trust?" intellectual problem. If a company is given a "don't e-mail" list, like the "don't call" list...and scrubs it against their mailing list...and is later hit with sanctions because the list they were given wasn't complete, either by accident or design...the sanctions could amount to millions and begin killing companies.

Now, to my way of thinking, the original "don't call" list for telephone solicitors is "restraint of trade," which is unconstitutional. Of course, the Constitution means less and less as time passes.

[Red]

Morgan has the right idea, parents need to talk to their kids. Unfortunately, not all parents have the kind of relationship with their kids to do that so they need to take other measures.

Parental filters help. I have a friend that keeps her kids computer in the living room so he can't hide away in his room and she can see his monitor when ever she walks by.

The bottom line is responsible parenting.

[sarettah]

Originally posted by Bhelliom@Jun 30 2005, 09:21 AM
Businesses will have to buy copies of the registries and face prison time and fines if they send e-mail to any addresses that parents submit. The registries also can include instant-message addresses, cell phones and pager numbers.

Can we say "prior infringement on the first amendment" ??

This won't fly constitutionally because of the "have to buy".

[Inabon]

my kids are still small 8 and 7 i have kept them away from pcs at home. at school they have a pretty closed system so i let them do their stuff there.

reasons why?

1. so they get to have some kind of non dork nerd life. Trust me i may be a pc geek but i had a life before computers so i think they should too.

2. once they have a pc at home that they can use (next year cause they are asking and deserving it with good grades and conduct) i will give them the pc and not give them email addresses. no hotmail for them yet no messenger at least untill they spend a couple of months with me showing them the geek stuff.

not to say you guys should do it this way but i am going to do it this way it is the only way. the other thing i will do is show them the stuff little by little so they know its out there but they don't feel the need

is like my dad and guns and drinks

he let me touch the gun the first time he brought it home. never felt the need to touch it again

he told me that if i wanted to do drugs he would take me to get them and test them so i never felt the need to hide and use them cause i could ask him

alchohol same deal when i became an adult (yeah right i am still a kid) i went out and hung out with him and drank with him so i did not have to hide (my first FUBAR was with him)

anyways my 2 cents

[Bhelliom]

Good points Inabon

My parents were always the same way.. they felt that if its open and honest i'm more likely to be safe(which i was) and not go out behind their backs and binge drink and end up in the hospital (which never happened, but had friends with hardline parents that did)

I suppose its a fairly similar situation. Let them know its there and available and waht to do about it and it takes away the "forbidden fruit" syndrome