Web-monitoring software gathers data on kid chats

and mines it...

[walkman]

Software sold under the Sentry and FamilySafe brands can read private chats conducted through Yahoo, MSN, AOL and other services, and send back data on what kids are saying about such things as movies, music or video games. The information is then offered to businesses seeking ways to tailor their marketing messages to kids.

[finance.yahoo.com...]

[Leosghost]

no surprise there ..those who shout loudest about protecting the kids are usually those who abuse them in one way or another ..

Btw ..the link doesnt work ..not found

[weeks]

[finance.yahoo.com...]

[D_Blackwell]

I have zero interest in products/niches targeting kids. The additional considerations are outside of what I do and there are many other areas that would interest me first. However, kids are nothing more than another demographic to be targeted. It would be stupid to be in the market and not exploit all available data.

I'm an anti-smoker, but within the reality of what is - it never bothered me when that they targeted brands towards women, or blacks, the 'developing markets' of teens..... In that business, once one strips away politics, posturing, and piousness, that is the job.

[kaled]

I have long held the view that all advertising aimed at children should be banned - if that were the case, spying on children's online activity would be pointless.

Incidentally, does anyone know which license terms grant them spying rights? My guess is that they've broken the law somewhere, possibly in the UK.

Kaled.