At Facebook, 60% of teens use privacy controls compared to 25-30% of adults, a sitepoint blog cites Facebook numbers as showing. Computer Associates offers some confirmation with a recent study finding that "79% of teens aged 13-17 who are members of a social networking site like MySpace or Facebook protect their profiles from the general Internet in some way (i.e., only allow friends or friends … [Read more...] about Teens best adults on privacy
Literacy & Citizenship
Google-brand social mapping
Google just launched its version of social-mapping called "Latitude." It reportedly works on a lot of phones, not just Google's own Android, and people get the little app by going to Google's page on the subject, typing their mobile numbers into the box and getting a text message from Google with a download link in it, ComputerWorld reports. "The idea is you install Latitude on your cell phone and … [Read more...] about Google-brand social mapping
Data privacy: Be extra alert these days
This is timely news, since yesterday the United States, Canada, and 27 European celebrated the third-annual Data Protection Day (see Computer Weekly). Computer security experts are saying that cybercriminals are taking advantage of "the fear and confusion created by tumbling financial markets" with a "massive wave of schemes to steal people's personal data," USATODAY reports. Panda Security told … [Read more...] about Data privacy: Be extra alert these days
Britain’s ‘child protection database’
This is what some in the UK call "child protection"? The BBC reports that "a child protection database" containing "the name, address, parents' contact details, date of birth, school, and doctor of every child in England" is being established "to improve information-sharing between professionals working with children." It will be accessible to 390,000 people described in the article as "local … [Read more...] about Britain’s ‘child protection database’
Mobile devices ‘key to 21st-century learning’
Kids' use of games, cellphones, and smartphones (next-generation, Web-browsing, media-sharing phones), "if carefully managed, could significantly boost their learning," Education Week reports, citing a just-released, 52-page study by a research center based at the Sesame Workshop (formerly Sesame Street) in New York. "Mobile devices are part of the fabric of children's lives today: They are here … [Read more...] about Mobile devices ‘key to 21st-century learning’