EU Considers Setting Up Age-Based Authentication System

[engine]

EU Considers Setting Up Age-Based Authentication System [bbc.co.uk]

The European Commission is considering setting up an age-based authentication system that limits where children can visit online.

The system is part of a series of proposals Brussels has put forward to make the net safer for children.

It says children are in danger of finding inappropriate material because ways to control where they can go are "fragmented".

More details of the authentication scheme will be published on 30 May.

[incrediBILL]

There's already technology that does this, it's the parents responsibility, not the governments.

Besides, kids will figure out how to bypass whatever you do and tell all their friends how to do it as well.

Total waste of time.

Worse yet, if you tick the little brats off they won't show you how to use the remote control for your TV and DVR the next time you can't figure it out.

[engine]

hehe
yes, I completely agree.

The parents should be more responsible.

I do think that the problems occur when the kids have smartphones and dissapear from sight of the parents.

[incrediBILL]

Seriously though, kids can access inappropriate material from the shelf of a public library, you can't protect them from everything, only educate them to properly handle such things when they encounter it.

[rocknbil]

It also wants industry to create a system that can electronically authenticate and identify children...

Uh huh. Last week I had a client say they wanted a network member's incoming link to identify which member it was and display that member's info bits on the landing page. They were rock solid against implementing any query string data or Javascript.

"So you want to take away the tools with which we'd do this for you, how do you expect this to happen?"

"I don't know, you're the developer, you tell us."

:-/

I'd be very interested to know how they plan to "authenticate children."

[edited by: rocknbil at 4:30 pm (utc) on May 4, 2012]

[Shaddows]

Heard that the UK Gov are going to block certain sites by default, unless you opt in? That will be a comfortable conversation for all involved.

Story here:
Consultation on protecting children from internet pron [bbc.co.uk]

[Shaddows]

I'd be very interested to know how they plan to "authenticate children."

Easy. Biometrics.

I can't see any objection to collecting identity data from every person in every EU country, in order to restrict online activity by demographic.

Absolutely no issues raised there at all.

[enigma1]

I'd be very interested to know how they plan to "authenticate children."

You put a wow banner and monitor for clicks?

[rocknbil]

Heh. Most WOW fanatics I know are 25-30. :-\

[henry0]

To me it's pretty much a moot discussion.
Nowadays kids, by 12 or even before know everything; bad-words, sex, including start with a P ends with an N (#*$!).

<edit> I like triggering the bad words filter :)</edit>

[johnhh]

Could do a Q & A I guess

Do you know who the Spice Girls are ?
Did you watch the moon landings ?
Have you heard of Pippa ?

serious note : whatever system there is kids will find a way around it, its a parents job, plenty of sotfware around.

kids will be kids - have all have you guys and girls forgotten what you did ?

I remember my mum saying don't talk to the Teddy Boys on the street corner ( is a UK thing !), guess what I did.

[Old_Honky]

To me all forms of on-line censorship are bad news. I don't want the government of the day or any half baked interest group or religious organisation imposing their idea of morality on me or my children.

When I was a callow youth we had to make do with copies of Health and Efficiency magazine with all the naughty bits airbrushed out, so until I got older and more experienced I thought all females were built like Barbie. At least the kids of today can get a better idea of reality, and they will soon get tired of on-line pron - after a while it becomes predictable and boring.

One positive thing about the freely available on-line pron is that it is putting out of business lots of those seedy shops where men in grubby raincoats went to buy dirty videos (which were supplied in a plain brown paper bag).