August 19, 2010 Today is World Humanitarian Day and I definitely needed this inspiring humanitarian video to gain some perspective on humanity. (fab 4 mins after the jump, and a how-to disable vid on Facebook Places too!) I don't know why anyone would give a flying fig about my whereabouts, but I DO know I've had my own personal safety blogger moments and am frankly … [Read more...]
Is It ONLY ME? Disabling Facebook Places In Pursuit of Privacy
Flirt Bots, Sex Bots and Artificial Intelligence: Future Shlock?
Feb. 10, 2010 Anyone remember sweet Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons cartoon? (If you're not having a retro flashback there's a 2012 live-action remake in development so you'll no doubt hear about her soon) Robotic maids and servile techno gizmos and conveniences have come a looooong way since Rosie... Some show humanity ascending with hope and promise, others pose … [Read more...]
Keeping Kids Safe From Predators (er, Marketers) Part One
July 13, 2009 Since researcher Sara M. Grimes opened up the conversation on data mining and privacy practices for us, I’d like to keep the focus on this important topic for a sec, because I DO believe we can use media and marketing to impact kids in favorable ways, and have founded our entire organization on that premise to sift out the sludge and elevate the possibility. … [Read more...]
Childrens’ Digital Privacy Advocates Show FTC Watchdogs Aren’t Woofin
June 18, 2009 Here we go again. I'm beginning to feel a bit like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day having deja vu that we've 'been there done that' all over again. Oh, that's right. We HAVE. Over a decade ago, Jeff Chester, executive director of Center for Digital Democracy played a leading role in the passage of COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998)...Since … [Read more...]
The MySpace Mom Skates, While The Teen Hangs? No Justice There!
Not to get all soapbox-ey, but since we’ve been talking about digital ethics and online immersive behavior a lot lately, I’ve gotta toss this one out there… Yesterday’s MediaPost update on the case of the jilted 13-year old MySpace teen (Megan Meier, at left) who hung herself due to a misguided mom masquerading as online beau Josh Evans (who never … [Read more...]