DAN said:
I would like to ask a related question.
I have a 10 yo daughter who is computerate enough to surf the net on her own.
But I am afraid for her safety. I don't mind if she would download porn or other
pictures call "inappropriate" (I don't think she would be interested, but even
if she wanted to look at those I would not mind), but I am very concerned about
her safety. Sickos, prowlers, etc.
I do not want to spy on her with a keylogger or such (I'm of the 68 generation,
after all
, but I am too concerned to just let her surf unsupervised. So right
now her computer in her bedroom is not connected to the net, and if she want to
surf she has to come to the room where my wife and me have our computers, and
use one of ours. Which more-or-less ensures that one of us is around.
Now denying her free access to the net won't be tenable much longer. Especially
since her school has a website and she has to do some homework using google and
such (boy, schools have come a long way since my time...). So to make the story
short I feel that I will have to let her surf on her own soon, but I am still
concerned about her safety.
I would like to hear what other parents have do in such cases. Are things like
Netnanny any good? Content advisor? something else?
DAN
Although my daughter is now too old for this site(she still visits it
occasionally); several of my friends use this website that offers a free web
browser setup for kids. Prevents all kinds of nasty access. You can also get
a free cdrom sent to you with all kinds of safe stuff for kids. Worthwhile
checking out.
http://www.kiddonet.com/knSource/knBrowser.htm.
Their homepage is
http://www.kiddonet.com/. I recommend that you peruse it
fully. Chock full of entertainment stuff for kids & highly acclaimed for
'safe' surfing for kids 3-12.
excerpts from Kiddonet.
KiddoNet is a TOTAL Internet environment for children (ages 3-12), created
and maintained by GTek Technologies Ltd. (
www.gtekil.com). KiddoNet's
mission is to offer kids an on-line space with high quality content and web
tools that allow them to create, learn, play and communicate SAFELY.
More than anything else these days, kids want to use the Internet to connect
and communicate with their friends. In support of this, KiddoNet has
developed SAFE, kid-friendly web tools that allow our users to communicate
on-line with people they know.
Together with this, KiddoNet attempts to educate our users about the
Netiquette of safe surfing, and continuously encourages kids not to give
personal information online.
KiddoNet is fully designed to comply with the requirements of the Children's
Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
The following statement discloses GTek Technologies' information gathering
and privacy practices for
www.kiddonet.com and the KiddoNet content sites.
Information We Collect
GTek and KiddoNet do not publish, share, trade, or sell users' personal
information.
KiddoNet offers many activities that do not require registration and kids
can play on KiddoNet without giving any information at all. Some of the
activities, however, do require registration because they allow kids to
create something that is saved and maintained especially for them.
During registration, we ask our users to provide minimum information,
including the following:
· A unique NetName - users are asked to choose a name to use while
they are on KiddoNet. KiddoNet reminds kids NOT to use their own names,
particularly family names, and to refrain from inappropriate language.
· A password - users are asked to choose a password that does not
contain their own name and to refrain from inappropriate language.
· Their age and gender - We use this information to help keep track
of what children like best, so that we can keep KiddoNet's activities
age-appropriate and relevant to our users' interests and needs.
· Their zip code - used internally for demographic purposes. Zip
codes are kept separately from the other user information and can in no way
be used to identify individual users.
· A parent or guardian's e-mail address - In keeping with standard
safety guidelines and COPPA, KiddoNet collects this address in order to
notify parents of their child's registration.
Parents' e-mail addresses are deleted once registration notification has
been sent, with the exception of those users who request KiddoNet
newsletters. In these cases, the parents' address will be stored, and the
newsletters will be sent to the parent's address. Parents can change the
address to which KiddoNet newsletters are sent at any time.
The collected information does not allow us to identify specific
individuals, but it gives us an idea of what we can do to make KiddoNet a
more educational and fun place to visit.
Also in keeping with COPPA, users will be asked in certain activities to
provide e-mail addresses to be used ONE TIME ONLY in reply to a specific
request. For example, some of the activities on KiddoNet allow kids to
create images and write texts that will be posted in galleries. These
activities undergo monitoring and not all creations are posted. Users can
ask to receive notification regarding the approval of their creations and
will need to give an e-mail address for the notification. These e-mail
addresses are deleted once notification has been made.
KiddoNet is happy to receive e-mail from kids with their questions and
comments, jokes and pet pictures. If users do write to us, we will use the
address they've given to respond on a one-time basis, and we will
subsequently delete the received mail.
KiddoNet does not condition a user's participation in any of our online
activities on the disclosure of more information than is reasonably
necessary to participate in the activity.
Use of Information
GTek and KiddoNet do not publish, share, trade, or sell users' personal
information.
KiddoNet may disclose user information in an aggregated form (group
statistics compiled from registration data that does not identify individual
users) in order to describe its services to prospective partners, relevant
third parties, and for other lawful purposes.
Use of Cookies
Cookies are information files that are saved by your Internet browser when
you visit a website. These files allow sites to "remember" users'
preferences when on a particular site. Cookies do not read or reveal any
information from a user's hard drive.
KiddoNet uses cookies to track user visits, make the site easy to navigate
and to deliver content specific to user. Information gathered through the
use of cookies is not used in any way with any personally identifiable
details.
Links to sites offered on KiddoNet (in our Great Sites area, Homework Help,
etc.) may use cookies as a way to remember users' specific interests and
preferences, and to provide users with relevant information during each
visit. Please read the privacy policies of all third party sites to find out
more about their practices.
Links to Other Sites
KiddoNet provides links to other sites in various places on our site.
Although KiddoNet screens all linked sites and chooses them for their
appropriateness and relevance to kids, these sites may have collection and
privacy practices that are very different from our own. Please read the
privacy policies of these sites to find out more about their practices.
When kids click a link offered on KiddoNet they will first get a BUMPER
page, informing them that they are leaving KiddoNet and going to an outside
site. This page also reminds kids not to give out any personal information
and to follow safe surfing practices.
At any time, users and/or their parents have the prerogative of "turning
off" Great Sites they don't want from within KiddoNet's Great Sites section.
Posted Activities
KiddoNet offers many activities that allow kids to send things they've
created, such as works of art or electronic cards, to friends and relatives.
KiddoNet asks users to give only their FIRST NAME and a recipient's e-mail
address so we can send out the card or creation. This address is not stored
or saved in any way and is used ONE TIME ONLY. All users' creations are sent
out from KiddoNet, using a KiddoNet e-mail address (
[email protected])
to further protect the privacy of our users.
In addition, KiddoNet offers creative activities that include galleries
where we post kids creations and activities that allow kids to post
messages. KiddoNet encourages all users who participate in these activities
(such as the Home Page Composer or the Graffiti board) to follow our rules
of conduct.
All of our "posted" activities are monitored to protect the privacy of our
users and anyone they might be writing to/about and to ensure that the rules
of conduct are followed.
KiddoNet strongly urges children not to give out personal information on
their home pages or other creations (such as Graffiti) or in their messages
(such as in our Wishful Thinking and Heart to Get activities). Our monitors
will not approve public postings that contain personal information. We also
encourage parents to look at the things their children are creating on
KiddoNet.
Contests & Surveys
Occasionally, KiddoNet will run contests based on activities on our site.
Sometimes KiddoNet requires users' personal contact information in order to
send prizes by mail. This information will be limited to only what is needed
in order to send out the prizes, and will not require that a user disclose
more personal information than is necessary for this purpose.
KiddoNet always clearly states that children MUST get parental permission
before providing personal information to us or to anyone on the Internet.
All requests for personal contact information will be preceded by PRIOR
parental consent submitted to us either by fax, mail or using a 1-800
number.
KiddoMail
KiddoNet offers all registered users their own KiddoMail SAFE e-mail
account. Parents can indicate whether they would like their child to have a
RESTRICTED communication account (kids can receive mail only from people who
appear in their address book or who have received the user's KiddoMail
password) or a FULL communication account (kids can receive mail from
anyone).
To open a KiddoMail account, users must provide PRIOR parental permission,
which can be provided via fax, mail or phone.
Parental Access and Opting Out
KiddoNet wants to help parents be involved in their children's online
experiences. At any time, parents can ask to review, change or delete their
child's personal information from our database. Parents who know their child
's NetName (KiddoNet user name) and password can access and change their
child's user information via the Change User Info option on the log-in page
or by e-mailing us.
Parents can also refuse to permit further collection, future contact or
additional access to KiddoNet online. Parents who wish to remove their child
's registration, or to unsubscribe from the mailing list for KiddoNet
newsletters can simply send us an e-mail to the following address, providing
the child's NetName and password for identification verification, and
specify a request or write UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
(e-mail address removed)
Protecting Information
KiddoNet has security measures in place to protect the loss and misuse of
the information we collect. We use such technologies as a Firewall,
encryption and various other methods to ensure that it is extremely
difficult to access the information in an unauthorized manner.
Terms of Use
Read more about it.
XrayPC.com
Read our privacy statement for this technical support site.
Contacting KiddoNet
If you have any questions about our privacy statement, the practices of
KiddoNet or its sites, please contact:
Email: (e-mail address removed)
Phone: 877-543-6835
Fax: 877-543-6329
Address:
KiddoNet
420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 2531
New York, NY 10170
