 |
IN FOCUS: ARTICLE |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Know Your Internet Rights!
by Alyson K. Sickels, 12.23.02
We already have laws that regulate the media — rules about privacy, profanity, protection, ownership, and free speech, to name just a few.
But what about the Web? Do the same rules apply? Here, teenwire.com gives you the scoop on some cyber issues, so you can be an informed citizen of the Web!
Is Big Business Watching?
One of the features that people enjoy most about the Net is that they can be completely anonymous. But does anonymity guarantee privacy? Not always. When you navigate the Net, you're not necessarily the only one seeing your moves — someone else could be recording every click you make. This is called a "data trail," and in a nutshell, it's the 411 on you!
Businesses use data trails to build personal profiles that can include your hobbies, employment, age, e-mail and house addresses, and any other info you give them. This online profiling is becoming a common practice — some even believe that the government's starting to do it.
But the big problem isn't that these people are collecting your info — it's that they may be using it irresponsibly, even illegally. Information vendors offering fee-based services boast that they know everything about everyone on the Web. So for the right price, it's possible that anyone from a prospective girlfriend to a stalker might be able to get hold of your profile. Severe privacy abuses are very rare, but creepy instances have been known to happen. In fact, just recently, an identity-theft thing in New York stole the credit profiles of about 30,000 people, resulting in millions of dollars in losses.
So, what can you do? Here are some ways to safeguard yourself:
- Only disclose required information. Surveys, freebies, and some site registrations are mere marketing ploys to build profiles.
- Read privacy policies for information gathering practices.
Access Denied!
If you're a teen or a kid on the Web, you have the right to be free from harm — even if that seems more like a bummer than a right when it means not getting access to all the sites you'd like to surf. Many lawmakers and parents feel children — and even teenagers — should be shielded from "objectionable" content on the Web. So, like it or not, your school, library, and home computers may have filtering programs to block pornography, profanity, and certain kinds of advertising.
The upside is, most parental control software has levels akin to PG, PG-13, and R ratings for movies. Presumably, the older you are, the more you get to see. The downside, asserted by anti-censorship groups, is that these programs can't always distinguish between informational sites on topics like health, sexuality, and sexual orientation (including teenwire.com!) and hardcore porn. Yikes!
Watch Your Mouth! I Mean, Mouse!
There's also the issue of libel — publishing incorrect information that can damage someone's rep. Sticks and stones may break some bones, but Web trash talk can get you in real trouble in cyberspace. A Utah teen who called his headmaster the "town drunk" and classmates "sluts" online was charged with libel.
That's Mine!
Most Web content is copyrighted, which means look but don't touch. Unless the content is public domain (which means it can be used freely by anyone and everyone), or you have the copyright owner's permission, it's usually illegal to download, forward, or otherwise use graphics, lyrics, photographs, etc. Copyright protections last only a limited time (think grandpa's grandpa). After this period is up, material enters the public domain.
However, the same cannot be said about copyright-protected materials. Remember the Metallica/Napster controversy? In short, Metallica owned the copyrights to their songs, which means they may not be "file-shared" without permission or compensation. The band objected to its songs being shared online, and Napster was subsequently shut down when many other groups jumped on the bandwagon along with Metallica.
There are exceptions to every rule, but it's far easier to get permission than it is to do hours of legal research and complex arithmetic to find out if something has entered the public domain. Ditto goes for anyone "borrowing" your content. If the material is yours, you can petition them to take it down or give you credit. |
|
|
|
Printable Version
Email this page