[OLPC Security] olpc security - wetware issues

[alien]

Yes, the parents are likely to have little to no technical
experience. That does not mean that we can ignore them or attempt to
act "in loco parentis" when it comes to technical matters.  We must
provide tools and some basic educational material so that those
parents who choose to take an interest in their childrens' education
are able to do so.

>kids on online safety.  That seems like a better approach and one that
>fits the goals of OLPC more than having software that attempts to
>restrict the children.

I agree that there should be an online safety campaign-- that's a
great idea, and certainly necessary. But I'm sure that if the trend of
online exploitation in the developed world is reversing, it is also
because parents in the developed world are becoming savvier, and have
been provided with tools by large companies which allow them to keep a
closer eye on their children's activity. Hence, in addition to an
online safety campaign aimed at children, we should also provide
educational materials aimed at parents, and provide them with the
tools they need-- which we already have-- that would allow them to
keep a watchful eye on their kids.

Brainstorming: envision, for example, a "For Parents" piece of
software on the system, which will provide either a written or spoken
report of childrens' activity, allow the parent to touch a button for
further detail on any one section, and with the touch of another
button will easily allow parents to modify access to a particular IM
buddy/web site. 

s

Matt Anderson writes:
>On Thu, Feb 08, 2007 at 06:12:24PM -0500, alien wrote:
>> In the developed world, kids who are solicited online often become
>> real-life victims of their online "friends." There is no point in
>> distributing these laptops for educational purposes without some basic
>> safety mechanisms that will prevent their owners from becoming
>> victimized as well. A tool which enables parental monitoring/controls
>> is a fundamental program and should be distributed by default with
>> each laptop. This is not "extra," and to fail to include it will
>> result in deaths. Really.
>
>My understanding was these computers would be distributed to children
>who's parents would not be able to afford their own computer, and who
>most likely are even less computer literate than the child who owns it.
>How are they supposed to fit into what you are suggesting?  What level
>of protection can they be expected to provide?  The control could be
>given to the school or the government, but that doesn't seem much
>better to me.
>
>To me what you are describing is a user problem.  Kids in developed
>countries are falling for these sorts of online traps because they
>weren't given instructions on how to stay safe online.  Recently that
>trend has been reversing because there have been campaigns to educate
>kids on online safety.  That seems like a better approach and one that
>fits the goals of OLPC more than having software that attempts to
>restrict the children.
>
>-matt