[Discuss] protecting kids online

[richard.pieri at gmail.com (Richard Pieri)]

Eric Chadbourne wrote:
> We're talking about preteens.  Children.  They aren't doing any hacking
> yet.  Though I hope the day comes soon.  I think Richard and Kent
> fundamentally misunderstand the situation.  The comments of "half assed"
> and "opponent" are extreme in this situation.

I was hacking -- that is, taking things apart to see how they work -- 
when I was 8. So no, I don't think that I misunderstand anything. 
Barriers are obstacles to overcome simply because they are there. These 
particular barriers are easy to circumvent given any desire at all to do 
so. Thus: half-assed.


> The reference to drm is apples and oranges.  Doesn't make sense here.

What is DRM? Unsupervised control over what you see and hear and do. 
What are parental controls? Unsupervised control over what your kids see 
and hear and do. I don't see much practical difference between the two.


> My father had a pretty large gun collection.  He was never my adversary
> because the firearms were in a locked gun closet and I could only use
> them around him.  That example is a bit of a stretch but you see what I
> mean.

The irony here is that this is /precisely/ what I'm on about: education 
and supervision. The gun locker is incidental, a means to an end rather 
than the end itself.

-- 
Rich P.