Child Safety « The GANSEC Security Weblog

Google collecting children’s social security numbers under the guise of an art contest

By Sven Olensky,on February 23rd,2011%

The Huffington Post has an interesting article about Google collecting personally identifiable information about children under the guise of an art contest.

They write,

[...] has been asking parents nationwide to disclose their children’s personal information,including Social Security Numbers,and recruiting schools to help them do it —all under the guise of an art contest. It’s called,“Doodle-4-Google,”a rather catchy,kid-friendly name if I do say so myself. The company is even offering prize money to schools to enlist their help with the promotion. Doesn’t it sound like fun? Don’t you want your kid to enter too?
What could be wrong with filling out a few entry forms?
A national,commercial database of names and addresses of American children,especially one that includes their dates of birth and SSNs,would be worth many millions to marketing firms and retailers.
Of course,data collection is not the reason Google gives for doing this competition. Their FAQ says it’s because “We love to encourage and celebrate the creativity of young people…”etc. If that’s so,then why on earth would the contest’s original Parent Consent Form ask for the child’s city of birth,date of birth and last four digits of the child’s SSN? Along with complete contact info of the parents.
You see what Google knows and many parents don’t know is that a person’s city of birth and year of birth can be used to make a statistical guess about the first five digits of his/her social security number. Then,if you can somehow obtain those last four SSN digits explicitly —voila,you’ve unlocked countless troves of personal information from someone who didn’t even understand that such a disclosure was happening.
This kind of data can be linked with other databases to target advertising. It’s worth many times more than what Google will spend on prizes (each State Finalist gets a T-shirt!).
[...]
So in closing,three simple ideas for you,gentle reader,to take away. (1) City of birth,when coupled with year of birth,can be correlated to social security numbers,so don’t give it out just because a box appears on a form. (2) No public contest should ask for any part of a social security number,especially involving kids. (3) For internet searches,have you tried Yahoo! or Bing lately? You just might find what you’re looking for.

Scary. And yes,what would hold Google back from making this information available to marketers?

Child Safety on the Internet –Some Tips

By Sven Olensky,on January 24th,2010%

Excellent article on Microsoft.com:

Age-based guidelines for kids’Internet use
If your children use the Internet at home,you already know how important it is to help protect them from inappropriate content and contact.
Windows Live Family Safety and the parental controls included in Windows 7 and Windows Vista can help you create a safer online environment for your children.
The American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) helped Microsoft develop age-based guidance for Internet use with the family safety settings in both of these products. It’s important to remember that these are guidelines only. You know your child best.
Up to age 10
Supervise your children until they are age 10. You can use Internet safety tools to limit access to content,Web sites,and activities,and be actively involved in your child’s Internet use,but Microsoft recommends that you sit with your child when they use the Internet,until the age of 10.
Here are some safety tips to consider when you go online with your 2-10 year old:
It’s never too early to foster open and positive communication with children. It’s a good idea to talk with them about computers and to stay open to their questions and curiosity.
Always sit with your kids at this age when they’re online.
Set clear rules for Internet use.
Insist that your children not share personal information such as their real name,address,phone number,or passwords with people they meet online.
If a site encourages kids to submit their names to personalize the Web content,help your kids create online nicknames that don’t give away personal information.
Use family safety tools to create appropriate profiles for each family member and to help filter the Internet.
For more information,see Windows Live Family Safety,Windows 7 Parental Controls,or Windows Vista Parental Controls.
Help protect your children from offensive pop-up windows by using the pop-up blocker that’s built in to Internet Explorer.
All family members should act as role models for young children who are just starting to use the Internet.
Ages 11 to 14
Children this age are savvier about their Internet experience,but it’s still a good idea to supervise and monitor their Internet use to help ensure they are not exposed to inappropriate materials. You can use Internet safety tools to limit access to content and Web sites and provide a report of Internet activities. Make sure children this age understand what personal information they should not give over the Internet.
When your kids are this age it might not be practical to physically supervise their Internet use at all times. You can use tools such as Windows Live Family Safety,Windows 7 Parental Controls,or Windows Vista Parental Controls.
Here are some safety tips to consider when you go online with your 11-14 year old:
It’s a good idea to foster open and positive communication with your children. Talk with them about computers and stay open to their questions and curiosity.
Set clear rules for Internet use.
Insist that your children not share personal information such as their real name,address,phone number,or passwords with people they meet online.
If a site encourages kids to submit their names to personalize the Web content,help your kids create online nicknames that give away no personal information.
Use family safety tools to create appropriate profiles for each family member and to help filter the Internet.
For more information,see Windows Live Family Safety,Windows 7 Parental Controls,or Windows Vista Parental Controls.
Set family safety tools on the medium security setting,which should have some limitations on content,Web sites,and activities.
Keep Internet-connected computers in an open area where you can easily supervise your kids’activities.
Help protect your children from offensive pop-up windows by using the pop-up blocker that’s built in to Internet Explorer.
Encourage your children to tell you if something or someone online makes them feel uncomfortable or threatened. Stay calm and remind your kids they are not in trouble for bringing something to your attention. Praise their behavior and encourage them to come to you again if the same thing happens.
Ages 15 to 18
Teens should have almost limitless access to content,Web sites,or activities. They are savvy about the Internet but they still need parents to remind them of appropriate safety guidelines. Parents should be available to help their teens understand inappropriate messages and avoid unsafe situations. It’s a good idea for parents to remind teens what personal information should not be given over the Internet.
Here are some safety tips to consider as you guide your teens online:
Continue to keep family communication as open and positive about computers as you can. Keep talking about online lives,friends,and activities,just as you would about other friends and activities.
Encourage your teens to tell you if something or someone online makes them feel uncomfortable or threatened. If you’re a teen and something or someone online doesn’t seem quite right,then speak up.
Create a list of Internet house rules as a family. Include the kinds of sites that are off limits,Internet hours,what information should not be shared online,and guidelines for communicating with others online,including social networking.
Keep Internet-connected computers in an open area and not in a teen’s bedroom.
Investigate Internet-filtering tools (such as Windows Vista Parental Controls,Windows 7 Parental Controls,or Windows Live Family Safety ) as a complement to parental supervision.
Help protect your children from offensive pop-up windows by using the pop-up blocker that’s built in to Internet Explorer.
Know which Web sites your teens visit,and whom they talk to. Encourage them to use monitored chat rooms,and insist they stay in public chat room areas.
Insist that they never agree to meet an online friend.
Teach your kids not to download programs,music,or files without your permission. File-sharing and taking text,images,or artwork from the Web may infringe on copyright laws and can be illegal.
Talk to your teenagers about online adult content and pornography,and direct them to positive sites about health and sexuality.
Help protect them from spam. Tell your teens not to give out their e-mail address online,not to respond to junk mail,and to use e-mail filters.
Be aware of the Web sites that your teens frequent. Make sure your kids are not visiting sites with offensive content,or posting personal information. Be aware of the photos that teens post of themselves and their friends.
Teach your kids responsible,ethical,online behavior. They should not be using the Internet to spread gossip,bully,or threaten others.
Make sure your teens check with you before making financial transactions online,including ordering,buying,or selling items.
Discuss online gambling and its potential risks with your teens. Remind them that it is illegal for them to gamble online.

I would like to add that the most safety is offered through you,the parents. Make sure you communicate with your children. Educate yourself about the Internet.

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