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Age Verification Debate Continues; Schools Now at Center of Discussion

Started by TLF · 9 months ago

This week, I have been up at Harvard University participating in another meeting of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force (ISTTF), of which I am a member. The ISTTF was organized earlier this year pursuant to an agreement between 49 state attorneys general (AGs) and social networking ... Continue reading »

3 comments

  • Peter Ferioli

    9 months ago

    Thanks Adam.
    Incredibly observant and spot on assessment of the meeting. The very healthy discussion and debate around this did indeed lead full circle back to your conclusion that technology, education and (good) legislation are the 3 legged stool we need to have in order to keep kids safe in the Wild, Wild West...er on the World Wide Web.
    reply
  • ramccluskey

    9 months ago

    The Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act has numerous provisions that would permit schools to provide date of birth information to authorized government agencies. For that matter, schools can generally provide that information to any third parties under FERPA without parent or student consent, if they choose to do so, subject to some restrictions.
    reply
  • MikeRT

    9 months ago

    I'm not convinced that there is sufficient threat of harm to most kids to justify any of what the government wants. Some kids and teens are just going to make bad choices, no matter what you tell them. Some predators are just going to be successful, no matter how hard you try. It remains to be seen whether the cost associated with lowering the already low numbers is worth paying for a few less victims per year.

    Call that a cold-hearted calculus if you wish, but debates like this really do need to have the costs weighed against the benefits with a sober mind.
    reply

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