reuters posted this 12 hours ago and my reply is below. As always, feedback graciously exchanged...however if you want to share something that would offend others, please do that privately. I appreciate all feedback given so far.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS343309848620100517
Before you take the over-the-counter pill, there is a pamphlet in your language telling you why you should be careful, how long you should wait and in simple language, that is an intelligent warning. What you are doing is getting teenagers (13+) To sign up and put in all their private information…how many parents monitor every page their kid invents, every FB “friend” every conversation? The company that makes the pill is BIG the consumer is little, BIG has a social obligation not to eat little without fair warning. What you are doing is not fair, it’s predatory, for those who cannot educate themselves, it is fair to help educate, at least put information out there in an understandable form. Communication=giving & receiving...you are not making sure the message is received, and it is coming back now to bite you in the backside, because it is perceived as deception...and it has been deceptive...public schools do not have a course in high school for "internet safety." We have "organizational skills" and we have "health, about nutrition and drugs" but no basic class in "beware who you give your IP address to." or even basics about safety...do local police departments like running around like this? isn't a little education/prevention better than rampant chaos with people getting stabbed and killed all over the place because they "trusted" someone who paid attention to them online but still had no way to know if it was really safe...because they lack "common sense" for reason of youth, age, disability of some sort...?
You have a social obligation to educate/warn people without a long magilla in legalese…just plain simple facts: your birthdate, if you are under 18 is private, you may not post it, and you need your guardian’s consent to make a page, ONE page. if you are 13, PROVE IT.
It would help greatly to make available, by FB search, YouTube links from whatever enforcement agency that uses it to catches bad guys telling sharing with us what they learned about profiling, telling us how to avoid them, educating & protecting consumers, is that now dead in America? Put them in every conceivable language, sign language, and put them there ASAP. Most users do not have the benefit of your education. You do, so, “share.” That is why you joined Face book.
McDonald’s is a great example. They spent more money tearing down nature to put “sleeves” on coffee that remains BOILING hot and they basically still POUR it onto the customer if that customer happens to be through the drive-through in a car instead of a SUV...there is no way to adjust the counter/bar. A more sensible approach might be to lower the counter, or make some device for handing it to the customer and then again giving a verbal warning. Posting a legal notice in 9pt on the bottom of the cup is not keeping people from being burned.
Lost in a sea of people…a sea which becomes mediocrity…people cannot be held accountable is what you are saying, it’s too big, out of control…to “cater to those concerns.” So now, privacy is “those concerns.” How much catering will you want from your friends on facebook if some of your FB "friends" come knocking on your door because of a quote taken out of context…? Will your privacy matter then? Will you want to know why they are in your house? Will you give them more information if they bully you? Will you even remember they are supposed to have a written warrant, not just write down why they are there, but convince an impartial judge that it is reason to go into your private space in the first place?
“A majority will accept…” yes, BLINDLY, does that make it okay because they did not understand what you were doing because it was buried somewhere in a form they clicked on when they were 13?
On the other hand, I am all for catching the bad guys, particularly bad guys that eat children in one way or another, before they can make it more than a virtual meeting…so, yes, it is the parent’s job to look at every minor’s FB page, even the hidden ones and find out who the friends are. It is also the parent’s job to know where their minor IS physically at all times, and with whom. It is FB’s job to cooperate by educating everybody about what the consequences are…short YouTube videos by teens for teens…by autistic for autistic…by LAW ENFORCEMENT for people they are supposed to be "serving and protecting" for anyone wishing to share their honest story. FB provides a medium for honesty; it is up to us to be honest with ourselves, if we can educate ourselves, or each other, will FB do that? Or is this just another band-aid they toss you after they pour the hot coffee on you after you have responsibly driven over there to wake up for the last few minutes of your drive…and need to be REMINDED, “it’s hot.” Is that not the humane thing to do? WARN people?