Chatroulette-New Internet Threat Site

Internet Social Site Threat

Chatroulette…Click At Your Own Risk!

When your mother warned you not to speak to strangers, she probably never envisioned the latest social networking phenomenon sweeping the Internet referred to as "Chatroulette". Chatroulette is a website site where random strangers (users) are linked together in face to face and interactive conversations with a stranger that could be in an adjoining town or half way across the globe.  

The site was created three months ago by a 17 year-old in Moscow.  In its short period of existence, the site has 85,000 registered users and is continuing to grow as its popularity increases and word of mouth marketing draws more users to the site.

To participate, a user only needs a computer, internet connection, and webcam.  Once they are logged onto the host site, chatroulette.com, they are ready to meet others in conversation.  No prior registration is required.

The idea, presumably, is that you'll start a conversation with someone you would otherwise never have the opportunity to meet. Advocates of Chatroulette point out that the Internet comes close to achieving its potential as a connector and social equalizer, setting differences aside and exploring their common humanity. In some ways, Chatroulette rivals the AOL chat room of the '90s.  However with Chatroulette, the element of video adds a powerful new dimension.  On the positive side, a level of honesty exists since the users can observe each other so distorting age, sex, and demographic variables are not as easy as in traditional chat rooms.  A user can't lie as easily.

Unfortunately, the positive aspects of Chatroulette are outweighed by the possible and potential problems associated with “talking to strangers”.  The site has few rules. Users are supposed to be at least 16 years old, and they're not supposed to show pornography on the site. A button at the top of the screen lets people flag video chats they find offensive.

None of those restrictions, however, are clearly enforceable. Kids, for instance, do not have to enter birthdates to start chatting on the site, as is the case on some online social networks.

Since Chatroulette users are randomly linked and they do not utilize any filter benchmarks, an unsupervised eight year-old in Iowa can be unknowingly linked to a 36 year-old pedophile in Chile.  

All the worst and weirdest impulses that anonymity encourages are on full display, in living color.  Sexually inappropriate conversations and explicit content can be easily transmitted.  Unsuspecting users have reported incidents of exposure, exhibitionism, sex acts, and bizarre, perverted and other shocking behavior.   An undercover investigation conducted by a CNN news team reported the following;

“Two of the first four video chatters randomly selected for were naked when their pictures appeared. The fifth person simply held a sign up to the screen that read: "Please show me your boobs."

Users can quickly disconnect from the offending party, but they must make a decision to do so.   And often the “damage’” may be done before the user can disconnect.

Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, urges parents to keep their kids away from Chatroulette entirely and should restrict their kids' access to webcams in general. 

The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, urges parents to talk to their children about social networking sites, and offers these tips for using these sites safely:

Help your kids understand what information should be private. Tell them why it’s important to keep some things — about themselves, family members and friends — to themselves. Information like their full name, Social Security number, street address, phone number, and family financial information — like bank or credit card account numbers — is private and should stay that way. Tell them not to choose a screen name that gives away too much personal information.

Use privacy settings to restrict who can access and post on your child’s website. Some social networking sites have strong privacy settings. Show your child how to use these settings to limit who can view their online profile, and explain to them why this is important.

Explain that kids should post only information that you — and they — are comfortable with others seeing. Even if privacy settings are turned on, some — or even all — of your child’s profile may be seen by a broader audience than you’re comfortable with. Encourage your child to think about the language used in a blog, and to think before posting pictures and videos. Employers, college admissions officers, team coaches, and teachers may view your child’s postings. Even a kid’s screen name could make a difference. Encourage teens to think about the impression that screen names could make.

Remind your kids that once they post information online, they can’t take it back. Even if they delete the information from a site, older versions may exist on other people’s computers and be circulated online. Know how your kids are getting online. More and more, kids are accessing the Internet through their cell phones. Find out about what limits you can place on your child’s cell phone. Some cellular companies have plans that limit downloads, Internet access, and texting; other plans allow kids to use those features only at certain times of day.

Talk to your kids about bullying. Online bullying can take many forms, from spreading rumors online and posting or forwarding private messages without the sender’s OK, to sending threatening messages. Tell your kids that the words they type and the images they post can have real-world consequences. They can make the target of the bullying feel bad, make the sender look bad — and, sometimes, can bring on punishment from the authorities. Encourage your kids to talk to you if they feel targeted by a bully.

Talk to your kids about avoiding sex talk online. Recent research shows that teens who don’t talk about sex with strangers online are less likely to come in contact with a predator.

If you’re concerned that your child is engaging in risky online behavior, you can search the blog sites they visit to see what information they’re posting. Try searching by their name, nickname, school, hobbies, grade, or area where you live.

Tell your kids to trust their gut if they have suspicions. If they feel threatened by someone or uncomfortable because of something online, encourage them to tell you. You can then help them report concerns to the police and to the social networking site. Most sites have links where users can immediately report abusive, suspicious, or inappropriate online behavior.

Monitor your children’s use of the computer, especially if a webcam is utilized.  Ensure that your child use his or her computer, whether a laptop or desktop model, in “community” areas of the home.  Restrict the use of the computer in private areas such as their bedrooms.

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