Blog 5: U.S. Tightening Web Privacy Policies to Protect Young

In America today, almost every child has a laptop, iPod, or cell phone that can access the internet.  Many major corporations, app developers, and data miners have been collecting information about the online activities of millions of young Internet users without their parents' awareness.  Some specific sites and apps have collected children's personal information such as photos and the location of the mobile device; in which the information could be used to tract down and locate the individual child.  With the rate of crime in America, this lack of privacy makes it too easy for predators and hackers.  Thanks to the F.T.C. (Federal Trade Commission) new rules and regulations will be placed on the internet in a matter of weeks.  For example, some current online practices, such as uploading a picture of yourself, will require parent consent if you are under the age of thirteen.
     Has technology created more problems for us rather than make our lives easier?  The influence of technology on Americans is too much.  Consumerism is taking over.  Each of us striving to have the newest generation of cell phone or television.  What is this doing to our children?  In other countries, children still play with pots, pans, sticks and tires, but in America, it's all about the iPhone, x-box, iPod, etc.  We are too materialistic as a society and because of this we are risking the lives of our children.  About 1.3 million reports of online child exploitation has been reported since 1998.  About 4% of children, ages 10 to 17, have received aggressive sexual solicitation--solicitor asked the child to meet them somewhere, etc.  About 34% of children have had exposure to unwanted exposure to sexual material and only 27% of this 34% told their parents.  Is technology hurting more than helping?

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2810#6

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/28/technology/ftc-moves-to-tighten-online-privacy-protections-for-children.html?ref=technology&_r=0

In a City Plagued by Violence, a Spike in Crime Opens Eyes Nationwide

Drug related crime is on a rise in the Marseille, France metropolitan. In the past nine months 20 people have been killed over drug related issues, a very high number for any French city. Drug dealers in a specifically high immigrant neighborhood are being blamed for many of the recent violence. Top dealers thrive by using constant fear as a weapon, along with their connection of having heavy weapons from the black market. Marseille is Frances poorest city, as a result it’s no stranger to crime. Drug trafficking hasn’t gone up in the past year, just the violence, which poses a mystery for law enforcement. Police also are having a harder time tracking down drug lords because drug trade has become larger and much less structured. Socialist Lauren Mucchielli stated “We must confront school failure, unemployment and the desertification of certain districts.” Because she believes that crime isn’t just sprung up, it gets into the mindset of civilians and needs to be addressed. 45% of males are unemployed in Marseille. Socialist Samia Ghali called for the army to intervene, which only drew more media attention to the problem.

Crime in Europe has been a forefront in media recently in the past decade. I think it may be due to the many European thriller crime movies, that has gotten Americans to realize what’s going on outside of the country. With that being said I did some research and the city of Marseille has approximately a population of 800,000, very similar to the city of Indianapolis. What astounds me is that this has caught media attention, whereas Indianapolis has had 80 murders this year. When I read Lauren Mucchielli comment, it made me think that socialist in America say the same thing. It seems almost common knowledge of what makes kids become criminals, but its taking such a long time to come up with a resolution

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/world/europe/marseille-hit-by-violent-wave-of-drug-crimes.html?pagewanted=all&_moc.semityn.www