Should Parents Shun Toys That Track Their Kids?

[DamianTV]

https://entertainment.slashdot.org/s...ack-their-kids

Parents are realizing that it's not just Santa who's keeping tabs on their kids. Many popular high-tech gadgets that may end up being given as holiday presents can actually track, monitor and record children. Because of that, there are some gifts Felicity and Alden Eute won't have under their Christmas tree. Their mother, Emily, has banned all tech gifts this season. "My husband and I both agree kids don't really need to be on technology or on social media," Emily said. "None of these extra gadgets that just expose you to things kids shouldn't be exposed to at their age."

While federal law requires a parent's permission to track and collect data on children under 13, a Federal Trade Commission complaint filed this week alleges widespread violations through apps that "send persistent identifiers to third parties without giving direct notice to parents." That means things like location data, phone numbers and contact information could be exposed, according to Serge Engleman of the International Computer Science Institute. The institute's surveillance system, under the direction of Engleman, collected evidence that is now before the Federal Trade Commission.... It's not only apps where there are potential violations. "Any kind of interconnected robot-type toys...interactive games that you may play online are collecting data," said Scott Pink, a privacy and cybersecurity specialist.

A single mistake today in a world of no privacy can and far too often does destroy peoples lives. Such as a teacher getting a picture posted of her drinking beer on facebook lost the teacher her job. Privacy is the ability to make mistakes so we can learn from them. But today, without privacy, every mistake is profitable to the big corporations. They want you to $#@! up so they can charge you more and more money, or simply exclude you from their exclusive groups.

Privacy is also the ability to enact Public Dissent against the current Powers That Be, who change frequently enough that Public Dissent represents a clear and present danger to their political careers. Ending privacy is Ending the Threat of Public Dissent. People alter their behaviors when they know they are under surveillance as to not draw attention to themselves from irritable rulers, thus rendering themselves as non threatening and non thinking as possible. Most will be willing to politically neuter themselves and sacrifice their entire future according to their will and self determination in order to not draw the ire of dangerous and oppressive rulers.

Why any parent would want to begin normalizing total surveillance of their children and thereby ruining their futures is beyond me. Good people resist tyranny, and take privacy from tyrants without permission. Good people disobey dangerous rulers.

[Origanalist]

Yes.

[Suzanimal]

Yes.