MySpace and Child-Protection Policies. A security blanket minus the security.

Advertising Age: MySpace Dodges Age-Verification Bullet — for Now
Synopsis: MySpace isn’t required to implement age verification, and has made politicians happy with new policies, such as increasing the default age for automatically making profiles “private.”
(There are other articles online that go through the same information, this was just the most recent.)

As I read more into what these measures do, I see that they’d likely be easily circumvented. I realize MySpace is in between a rock and a hard place. I don’t blame them for trying to come up with some sort of solution to get panicky parents off their backs. My issue lies with the parents, and their expectation that “someone else” be responsible for protecting their kids. They want to keep their kids safe? Good intention. Suck it up and address it yourself.
This is politics in place of parenting. MySpace is mollifying panicked parents while politicians are trying to get re-elected. Little is actually being achieved. It’s a security blanket. It makes you feel warm, but provides no actual security.
Parents who have limited knowledge of the Internet/cyberspace feel this procedure will protect their children and keep them safe. Unfortunately, most of the proposed measures can easily be circumvented by even a moderately tech-savvy kid, or by even a greater threat – a computer-savy predator.
Most parents wouldn’t think to write/rally their senators to enact a state law that would require neighborhood children be escorted by police (on a daily basis) to prevent them from contact with criminals, right? Well, this seems to be what parents are proposing with the Internet. It’s simply impractical, illogical, ineffective, and silly. If parents want to ensure their children’s safety online there are a number of tools on the market that can monitor and/or restrict usage. Being equipped with the necessary research and knowledge you can specify the level of security to apply based on the maturity and technical skills of your child. Such ideas include positioning the computer in a well-trafficked room with the monitor facing outwards, adding a router or proxy server with a “white list” (a list of permitted websites), and/or setting up a keylogger to monitor their activity. (some keyloggers even takes screenshots.) Personally, I’d advise to go with the least invasive, but effective solution. A computer “geek” friend can be the most resourceful in this case.
It may not be a lot of fun to have to poke around in what your kids do online, but your other practical choice is to unplug the network cable. The internet is frequently thought of as an analog of the real world. Issues in the real world are frequently reproduced online. You expect to know where you kids go and what they do in the real world, how is this different? Your children need to understand that this isn’t about trusting them. It’s an issue that there are real hazards online. There is no “silver bullet” solution that MySpace (or any other social site/chatroom/Instant message network) can implement that will protect kids from being solicited online. NONE. Just like there isn’t a way for government to completely protect your children in real life. There is no replacement for parental responsibility and involvement. I’d much rather suck it up and deal with it myself, than rely on someone else to do it for me.

I’d hope the educational information MySpace proposes to present to parents drives a similar point home, but advocating “personal accountibility” can be bad PR.

Yes, this topic makes me cranky.