A report released Wednesday by a multi-organization task force whose formation was spearheaded by MySpace Inc. paints a surprisingly benign picture of the online security and privacy threats faced by children. But the report’s conclusion — that some of the common concerns about those threats may be overstated or misplaced — is drawing sharp criticism from some quarters.Perhaps the most scathing critique came from South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster, who blasted the report for creating a “false sense of security” about online child safety. In a letter addressed to a working group of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), which commissioned the report early last year as part of a deal with MySpace, McMaster asserted that the task force’s findings are “as disturbing as they are wrong.”
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9126040
http://computerworld.com.au/article/273307/
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/011509-study-blasted-for-downplaying-online.html
http://pcworld.idg.com.au/article/273307/
Internet security task force downplays online threats to children; critics blast report
A report released Wednesday by a multi-organization task force whose formation was spearheaded by MySpace Inc. paints a surprisingly benign picture of the online security and privacy threats faced by children. But the report’s conclusion — that some of the common concerns about those threats may be overstated or misplaced — is drawing sharp criticism from some quarters.