Parents, Don't Let Your Children Grow Up To Be Hackers

from the talk-to-them dept

Newsweek is running a piece written by someone from the Department of Justice suggesting that parents need to play a larger role in teaching their kids what's wrong and right online. I agree. However, it's not as easy as she writes in her article - because not all the issues are black-and-white. She says, for instance, that children have "seriously hurt the music, gaming and software industries" online - which not everyone would agree with. Still, I do think it is important for parents to realize that teaching their children responsible actions in the real world isn't enough any more. They need to guide them online as well.

6 Comments | Leave a Comment..


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  1.  

    ARGH!

    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Sep 8th, 2003 @ 2:30am

    Most of the time, "online" is also the real world!!
    And you can also be in a virtual world standalone.

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  

    Re: ARGH!

    icon
    Mike (profile), Sep 8th, 2003 @ 3:08am

    You're arguing semantics. The point is that there are different issues that should be dealt with concerning responsible computer usage, which are usually not handled in any way.

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  

    No Subject Given

    identicon
    thecaptain, Sep 8th, 2003 @ 7:20am

    If more parents bothered to teach kids right and wrong rather than just using computers, nintendos and tv as babysitters, we'd have a better world.

    And you wouldn't have to teach them about right and wrong on the net because they'd be smart and well raised enough to already KNOW.

    Not all parents do this, I applaud the "true" parents who are dedicated and make the effort. Its just that these parents are no longer in the majority.

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  

    No Subject Given

    identicon
    Ed Halley, Sep 8th, 2003 @ 8:06am

    I've noticed that CNN's website has had a large upswing in "scare journalism" slanted toward RIAA/MPAA stings, suits and amnesties. They rarely give even a ten-word rebuttal for balance, such as how sane lawyers think the amnesty problem is a crock, or that the kids sued for college savings were running plain search engines.

    Monoculture is a problem, and cartels in charge of the Fourth Estate just complete the trend toward blind polarization in government.

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  

    Re: No Subject Given

    identicon
    Munich, Sep 8th, 2003 @ 8:52am

    > Monoculture is a problem< br>
    No, only if CNN were the only outlet. Since there are 100s (if not 1000s) of news outlets, blogs, etc. catering to every taste, view and outlook on the planet (like this one?), your statement is moot. In fact, with the web, multiple cable and satellite channels, etc., I would argue that the culture is coming less monolithic, and certainly more diverse than the 1950s when three TV networks controlled 100% of the country.

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  

    Children, don't let your parents grow up to be idi

    identicon
    LittleW0lf, Sep 8th, 2003 @ 1:50pm

    ...The government doesn't like competition!

    Seriously, I believe my parents brought me up to be a good person, and from comments others have made, I don't think my observation has been flawed. They taught me wrong from right, and were generally happy with the choices I've made (including becoming an information security person, or more aptly, a "hacker".) One thing my parents did well is plant the seed for gathering knowledge, and learning from my mistakes, and seeing the hypocracy in other's statements. This is what being a hacker is about, not stealing software or music, or using your knowledge to harm others.

    There is a lot of hypocracy in the world. After all, we have people both within and outside the government who would like to have us be mindless sheep, following the multitude of shepherds (RIAA, MPAA, Congress, etc.) with no thought of anything other than buy, buy, buy. My favorite hypocracy right now is none other than Cruz Bustamonte's election signs, which say "No on Recall, Yes on Cruz Bustamonte." So in other words, the folks most likely to vote for Cruz are the ones most likely to vote against the recall (though, after reading the election book, I find it interesting to note that folks who vote no on the recall are not to vote for a Governor...so would this be another hanging chad issue if Cruz finds that a number of folks voted no on the recall, and yet still voted for Cruz, which means they really wanted to vote yes on the recall and were confused?)

    One thing to point out, however, is that Martha is the head of the RIAA financed "Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section." So it is automatic that she is biased and her agenda is clearly to attempt to sway folks into conforming with the RIAA's agenda despite she works for the Department of Justice (which is a wholly owned subsidary of Microsoft, et. al..)

    But furthermore, I found her article to be very poorly referenced. I could not find any record of any teenager taking down the phones of an entire city, and would love to have the case and docket number for my own purposes. Lots of FUD...the next Iraqi Information Minister of the RIAA has been named, and she apparently is well tasked for the job.

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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