[2012.06.09] Kid goloves: 孩子與臉譜網 [
[Facebook and the under-13s
臉譜和那些13歲以下的孩子們
Kid gloves
孩子與臉譜網
Small children are a big headache for the social network
小孩子們是令社交網絡中令人頭痛的問題
Jun 9th 2012 | SAN FRANCISCO | from the print edition
Those playdate pics are so embarrassing
那些小玩伴的圖片真令人尷尬
ONE American in three aged 65 or older uses social networks, says a new report by the Pew Research Centre, a think-tank. But it is the small surfers, not the silver ones, who are currently making waves. Facebook is examining ways to allow children under the age of 13 to use its service, with some form of parental supervision. If this happens—and Facebook stresses that it has not yet decided whether to go ahead—it would be a venture into uncharted territory.
美國智庫皮尤研究中心的一項新的調查報告顯示：三個六十五歲以上的美國人中就有一個使用社交網絡。但是是年輕的沖浪者而不是年老的人最近在引起熱議。臉譜網最近在細查允許十三歲以下的孩子在某種父母的監(jiān)督的形式下使用它的服務的方法。如果這種方法實現了-臉譜網強調它還沒有決定是否繼續(xù)進行下去-這將成為一次進入未知領域的冒險。
Critics howl that young children lack the maturity to cope with social networks. They also worry that Facebook will find devious ways to make money from naive children or, more likely, their parents. “We would be giving the keys to the chicken coop to the fox,” says Doug Fodeman of ChildrenOnline.org, a pressure group.
批評家高聲叫喊：年幼的孩子們還不夠成熟來應對社交網絡。他們也擔心臉譜網將用不正當的手段從少不更事的孩子們那掙錢，或者，更可能，從他們的父母那里。" 我們是在羊入虎口 "。隸屬一個壓力團體—兒童在線組織的Doug Fodeman說道。
There is also the thorny question of how Facebook could comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in America, which was designed to protect children under 13 as they use the internet. The law stipulates that online services with youngsters among their customers must obtain the consent of the children’s parents before collecting data from them. Parents also need to be able to review their children’s data and have these deleted if they so wish. The onerous nature of these and other COPPA provisions explains why social networks have tended to shun the young. Facebook insists that you have to be 13 to use its service.
還有一個難辦的問題是關于臉譜網怎樣遵循《美國兒童網路隱私保護法》，該法律旨在保護十三歲以下使用互聯(lián)網的孩子。這條法律規(guī)定對他們有兒童顧客的網絡服務在收集數據前必須征得孩子父母的同意。父母也需要能夠復審孩子的資料，并且如果他們愿意的話，可以把這些刪掉。上述規(guī)定及其他COPPA條款如此繁瑣能解釋社交網絡打算避開孩子的原因了。臉譜網堅持說你必須在十三歲以上才能使用它的服務。
The snag is that children fib about their age. A study by Consumer Reports found that 5.6m children under 13 were using Facebook in America alone. Another survey of American parents found that adults often knew that their children were less than 13 when they joined Facebook. In many cases, the parents helped them to set up their accounts.
還有一個麻煩就是孩子們謊報他們的年齡。一項消費報告研究顯示美國五六百萬十三歲以下的孩子在獨自用臉譜網。另一項關于美國父母的研究發(fā)現父母通常知道他們的孩子加入臉譜網的時候是小于十三歲的。在很多情況下，父母們幫助他們建立他們自己的賬戶。
Regulators have noticed. Facebook’s current musings may reflect the fear that the firm will run into trouble if it does nothing. It already has slightly more robust privacy settings for children between the ages of 13 and 17. But it would need a far tighter regime for younger children, says Sarah Downey of Abine, an online consumer-privacy company.
監(jiān)管者已經注意到了。臉譜網最近的考慮可能反映了他們對于如果企業(yè)無所作為將會陷入困難的擔憂。它早已稍微為十三到十七歲的孩子加強了隱私設置。但是它還將需要一個針對孩子的更嚴格的體制，億邦網絡消費者隱私公司的Sarah Downey說道。
In spite of its plummeting share price, Facebook has oodles of cash from its recent stockmarket flotation. So it could easily hire the extra staff needed to support parents and their youngsters, as well as to ensure compliance with COPPA. Mark Zuckerberg, the social network’s boss, has said he believes children’s education should start early. Now he has a chance to prove that he means it.
盡管Facebook的股票價格直線下降，它仍能從最近股票發(fā)行得到許多現金。所以，它仍然可以輕易地雇傭需要的員工來服務父母們和他們的孩子，并且確保符合《美國兒童網路隱私保護法》。Mark Zuckerberg，此社交網絡的老板，說他認為孩子們的教育應該早早地開始?，F在他已經有了證實他不僅僅是說說而已的機會了。
