Telefoanele mobile pot fi un dispozitiv util de siguranta pentru copii, dar ii fac si vulnerabili.

11.12.04

de Chris Barton

Cine a crezut ca este o idee buna sa echipeze telefoanele mobile cu camere de luat vederi, probabil nu a anticipat oamenii care fotografiaza organele genitale si transmit imaginile pe site-uri web pentru ca toti sa le vada.

Insa dispunerea de locuri pe internet unde oamenii ar putea trimite si publica – „posta” – imagini instantanee realizate cu telefoane cu camera foto, a fost intotdeauna parte din plan. Sunt cunoscuti drept „moblogs” si majoritatea sunt inofensivi – case pentru albume electronice de familie, animale de companie, vacante, adunari si altele asemenea. In plus, ciudata nebunie a momentului in „fotografii conduse” – fotografii ale cladirilor, ale drumurilor, ale peisajelor sau de orice altceva prin care se conduce.

Exista, de asemenea, cativa mobloguri in care oamenii au folosit tehnologia pentru lucruri mai putin sanatoase – cum ar fi porno-ul DIY instant mentionat anterior. Expozitionarii bolnavi? Fara indoiala. Dar astfel de site-uri reprezinta si avangarda utilizarii telefoanelor mobile – creativitatea a innebunit cand vine vorba de ceea ce se poate face cu o tehnologie in voga. De ce? Pentru ca pot.

Surprinzator, noile utilizari pentru telefoane mobile cresc tot timpul. La fel ca membrul bandei de la un tribunal din districtul Auckland vazut saptamana trecuta folosind un telefon cu fotografii pentru a fotografia membrii juriului. Judecatorul nu a fost impresionat si imediat a fost dus de juriu intr-un loc secret.

Comportamentul are, de asemenea, functionari judecatoresti si ministri ai Guvernului care se intreaba daca incidentul reprezinta o noua tactica pentru a provoca greseli – si daca telefoanele mobile ar trebui interzise in instanta.

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Pe langa spectrul postarilor pornografice si al intimidarii juriului, alte comportamente ale telefonului mobil pot oferi parintilor o pauza de gandire daca au in vedere sa-si cumpere fiica sau fiul cel mai recent in gadgeturile mobile in acest Craciun.

Liz Butterfield, directorul grupului Internet Safety (Netsafe), vorbeste despre incidente in care copiii de scoala au fost fotografiati cu telefoane cu camere in vestiare de catre colegii lor. Si despre modul in care fotografiile (pxt-urile) sunt transmise de la telefon la telefon sau, mai rau, sunt puse pe site-uri web.

Comportamentul este o extensie a asa-numitului cyber-bullying in care mesajele text denigrante (txt-uri) sunt trimise (uneori bombardate) catre telefoanele copiilor. Rezultatele pot fi devastatoare – ca in cazul adolescentului Oamaru, Daniel Gillies, care a cazut anul trecut la o stanca la moartea sa.

„Fiul meu a murit, iar mesajele text au fost un factor semnificativ in asta”, a spus mama unui Daniel Helen Algar la un ziar duminical, convinsa ca fiul ei s-a omorat din cauza textelor bullying. „Mesageria text poate fi o arma puternica.”

Este o arma adultii se folosesc rapid. „Observam o crestere a abuzurilor legate de violenta in familie, efectuate prin intermediul telefoanelor mobile”, spune cercetatorul principal al grupului de dezvoltare politist si coordonatoarea criminalitatii electronice Judith Jefferson. In mare parte, este vorba despre persoanele care incalca ordinele de protectie prin trimiterea de mesaje catre cei sub protectie. Dar lui Herald i s-a spus despre un caz in care „aveti de gand sa ardeti **** voi” a fost trimis unui prieten apropiat al unei persoane sub un ordin de protectie. Textul, stiind ca mesajul va fi transmis, a fost implicat in hartuire prin procura.

Apoi, exista incidentul fotografiilor indecente facute in Nelson in noaptea de revelion a unor adolescenti aparent intoxicati si partial imbracati fara acordul lor. Fotografiile au fost, eventual, distribuite prin e-mail sau postate pe site-uri.

Telefoanele cu aparat foto ajuta, de asemenea, inselatorii de examene care, precum si textele de raspuns la ei insisi sau la altii, pot acum fotografia raspunsuri pentru a le trimite mai departe.

Iar ingrijorarile cu privire la pedofili si pervertiti care folosesc telefoane cu camere in vestiare au determinat Consiliul Local Wellington sa interzica mobilele la bazinele sale publice.

Toate comportamentele de mai sus, fie ele legale sau ilegale, sunt posibile la telefon printr-un lucru numit convergenta. Este momentul in care o mare topire digitala de telecomunicatii, computere si media se transforma in ceva nou si fabulos. In telefoane mobile este vorba despre coalescenta telefonului, a camerei si a internetului (si in unele cazuri radio, TV si inregistrator digital si player). Cu un mobil „convergent”, utilizatorul este cititor, scriitor, vizualizator, fotograf si editor intr-unul singur. Nu mai vorbim de potentialul de a fi pornograf, delincvent, deviant si talhar.

Butterfield argumenteaza toate comportamentele anterioare datei tehnologiei. Acest txt-bullying, de exemplu, este doar o noua forma a unui vechi impuls – „a scrasni numele cuiva cu un comentariu urat pe peretele toaletei baietilor sau fetelor”. Dar ea este de acord cu natura instantanee a ceea ce se poate face, iar publicarea globala aduce o noua dimensiune.

„Ceea ce difera este faptul ca exista aceste noi tehnologii si exista o noua viteza cu care se pot intampla lucrurile.” Unii sugereaza, de asemenea, natura mesajelor text amplifica oportunitatea comunicarii erupte si nepoliticoase care nu s-ar intampla cu dialogul fata in fata.

In conditiile in care cunoasterea sigura, tehnologia nu va disparea si intelegerea cat de mult apeleaza mobilele la cultura tinerilor, Butterfield promoveaza educatia – pregatirea copiilor pentru a fi siguri si responsabili – ca pe calea de urmat. De asemenea, este in favoarea unor politici scolare sensibile de restrictionare a utilizarii mobile in orele scolare sau la examene, dar impotriva interdictiilor totale.

„Daca ii interzici, atunci pentru copiii care sunt lasati la scoala devreme sau raman tarziu pentru activitati dupa scoala, le refuzi un dispozitiv de siguranta bun.

Ceea ce face din mobil o lama cu doua taisuri. Pe de o parte, promite sa protejeze – oferind un mijloc pentru copiii de a primi ajutor si pentru ca parintii sa stie unde se afla copiii lor. Pe de alta parte, mobilul este o poarta electronica deschisa catre vici si victimizare.

In ciuda studiilor care arata cat de importante sunt telefoanele mobile si textele pentru adolescenti in desfasurarea vietii lor sociale, Jefferson spune ca multe dintre generatiile mai in varsta nu apreciaza „centralitatea” tehnologiei mobile. Cercetarile recente ale Universitatii Victoria, de exemplu, au aratat ca unii adolescenti dorm cu telefoanele pentru a se asigura ca sunt disponibili pentru a raspunde la mesaje. A fi fara telefon si conectivitatea pe care o aduce nu este o optiune.

„Unii parinti mi-au descris-o ca fiind:„ Ati crede ca capul lor va fi taiat daca le luati telefonul departe de ei ”, spune Jefferson.

Ea spune ca tinerii au o atitudine diferita in modul in care accepta si folosesc cu usurinta tehnologia. „Avand in vedere diferitele lor perspective, exista potentialul de a se desfasura diferite activitati infractionale, de care nu suntem constienti.”

But there’s also the potential for adults to use the technology to exploit the naivety of children. When it was revealed in October that mobile text chat services may be exposing children to predatory behaviour by paedophiles, the Teenzone and Sexy TXT chat rooms were shutdown.

The revelation also prompted associate minister of communications David Cunliffe to call on Telecom and Vodafone representatives to hammer out a code of practice for handling age verification of chat room participants, guidelines for monitoring chat rooms and for what content that might be permissible or not.

Cunliffe had hoped for a draft code by Christmas but has been told by the Telecommunications Carriers Forum it needs another six months. “My message to the TCF is ‘good work, go faster’. Six months is a long time for parents to be worrying that their children are exposed to stuff that they shouldn’t be.”

In reality parents are going to be waiting a lot longer. Legislation to deal with some of the more obvious dangers of camera phones – the Intimate Covert Filming Bill – is due to be introduced to Parliament next year. That means it will be at least a year before it’s actually illegal to make, publish or possess “a voyeuristic recording”.

In focusing on behaviour, the bill shies away from technological solutions suggested in other countries – such as requiring camera phones to employ an audible click and flash when taking a picture. And while Vodafone and Telecom have procedures in place for dealing with those who send abusive or harassing txts or pxts, both are in no hurry to sort out age-verification for chat room access. Although two chat rooms have been shut, both continue to run many and lucrative dating and adult chat rooms where mobile equipped children can easily gain access.

“The first option is for the industry to regulate itself in a responsible way,” says Cunliffe. “If we’re not satisfied that public safety is protected in that way, then we’ll look at what else we can do.”

But with mobile phones able to get unrestricted access to the internet and more convergence sure to arrive soon, Cunliffe agrees there’s a limit to what legislation can do.

“When we get 3G [mobile videophones] teenage boys are going to get hardcore videos on their mobile phones and that’s going to be very difficult.”

Like Butterfield he advocates education about responsible use. But with many parents already perplexed about their own mobile phone use and asking their kids for help, just who will be teaching who?

They’re watching you

Many mobile phone users – particularly those on prepaid plans – believe they’re anonymous while using a mobile phone. To some extent that’s true, but the phone number is always traceable and both Vodafone and Telecom keep logs of txt and pxt messages for between one and two weeks. Numbers found to be sending abusive or harassing messages can also be disconnected from the network and in some cases the handset itself can be disabled.

All telecommunications networks are required to be interceptable under the Telecommunications (Interception Capability) Act which means police, through interception warrants, are able to tap mobile phone calls, and intercept txt and pxt messages.

MOBILES

WHAT THE LAW SAYS

Harassment

This is covered by the Harassment Act and becomes a criminal offence if the message threatens life or safety. For other types of messages, recipients can seek a protection order from the court if there have been at least two instances of harassing behaviour over a fixed period of time. Vodafone and Telecom each has procedures for dealing with txt bullying which begins with warnings to the sender and, in some cases, contacting parents. If the offending persists the sender’s phone can be refused access to the network. Users are advised never to respond to abusive or threatening messages. More information at www.netsafe.org.nz.

Voyeurism

Covered by the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification and Privacy Acts and other criminal laws, but due to be specifically dealt with by the Intimate Covert Filming Bill expected in parliament in the new year. The bill creates three new offences – making, publishing and possession of a voyeuristic recording. The key threshold of the new laws is whether the visual recording was done without consent and whether it was done in circumstances that would reasonably be expected to provide privacy.

Pornography

Covered by the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act in relation to making and distributing objectionable publications. Jurisdictional issues in relation to the publication of objectionable material on overseas websites have yet to be tested.

Gambling

Mostly not permitted under the Gambling Act, but text messaging promotions are allowed if they meet the tests for a sales promotion. The contest must be used to promote the sale of products or services, customers must buy the goods or services being promoted at the standard retail rate, cannot be charged any direct or indirect consideration, and the outcome must be determined by chance.

Fraud, forgery

Covered by the Crimes Act. As mobile phones are used more as “electronic wallets” to make purchases and for online banking, they become sites for fraud and forgery offences and users run the risk of identity theft.

Theft

Covered by the Crimes Act. In criminologist jargon, mobile phones pass the “Craved” test. That is, they’re concealable, removable, available, valuable, enjoyable, and disposable, and as such are a target for thieves. Unlike Australia, New Zealand doesn’t yet have a law that makes it a criminal offence to “rebirth” stolen mobile phones by illegally modifying a phone’s electronic serial number.

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