Originally posted by PyrrhoPyrrho (& EXY earlier) made a good point which I believe resolves the problem. Providing that the chat, messages & forums are disabled for under 13 year olds then there should be no reason for them to be excluded from playing. This is afterall a chess web site and most of us (with the possible except of SVW) logged on to play chess rather than post in the forums. (The problem of the clans can be sorted out again by disabling this feature)
It's a tough situation - I do understand that Russ needs to protect the site against lawsuits.
I'm sad to see some very good people leaving the site in protest though, and do think that there would probably be a better way of complying with the laws protecting children than banning under 13-year olds altoghether.
How about, instead of banning 13 yea ...[text shortened]... h this, if that was what would be required to allow under 13 year olds to participate.
-Jarno
The main problem with the blanket ban is that the kids are just going to create a new nick and then lie about their age. So while this policy will cover the site against potential litigation it will not protect those whom it was intended for. I say let them play and let them play safely.
Originally posted by Jay PeateaJay,
Pyrrho (& EXY earlier) made a good point which I believe resolves the problem. Providing that the chat, messages & forums are disabled for under 13 year olds then there should be no reason for them to be excluded from playing. This is afterall a chess web site and most of us (with the possible except of SVW) logged on to play chess rather than post in the ...[text shortened]... t will not protect those whom it was intended for. I say let them play and let them play safely.
This has already been explained, and those explanations are what made me decide this new ban is right. In a nutshell: Under the COPPA law, a website cannot obtain personal information from a child under 13 such as e-mail address or "hobby" (which would be chess). So it wouldn't matter if children could not talk to other people on the site. The law would already be broken at the time the child registers.
Secondly, the law protects the site and site owners from legal action if anything untoward should happen. So if someone lies and registers while under 13, the site is protected from any future problems that might arise, like you said. They are still in danger of predators, but at this point it is the responsibility of the parent. In short, and the most important part, the ban is protecting the future of this site. Would you rather have Russ take the risk and possibly lose the site which will affect all of us or would you rather have these kids wait for a few years and come back when they are legal age? There is no doubt what my answer would be.
ncrosby🙂
Originally posted by ncrosbyNcrosby,
Jay,
This has already been explained, and those explanations are what made me decide this new ban is right. In a nutshell: Under the COPPA law, a website cannot obtain personal information from a child under 13 such as e-mail address or "hobby" (which would be chess). So it wouldn't matter if children could not talk to other people on the site. Th ...[text shortened]... and come back when they are legal age? There is no doubt what my answer would be.
ncrosby🙂
I can see where you are coming from but according to the FAQ page on "http://www.ftc.gov/kidzprivacy/" banning under 13 is not really in the spirit of COPPA.
Anyway I am going to e-mail the COPPA website and see if I can get some specific info relating to my suggestion. I'll post up whatever reply comes back.
cheers
J
P.S. Note currently RHP might still not be covered as the registration page only asks somebody to confirm if they are over 13 years old an thus could be seen as inviting falsification.
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Originally posted by padfootI'm completely against an age limit...how should chess, one of the most beautiful games, only be reserved for those who are old...chess should be shared! not divided!
People, men, women and most of all - kids. - if there are any of you left...
What does rhp mean to you? is it a site for grown up talk? is it a site for tea party chat? is it a grandmaster 'exclusivo' chess site??
or is it a site for ...[text shortened]... ds who DID get excluded...
anyway - say 'no' to age limit...
I myself am also 14...
FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLDS BAND TOGETHER!
Originally posted by yamiyokazeThey are not banning them because of the chess, they are banning them because of the communication. Still, age does not show intelligence or wisdom. There are plenty of incompetent people in this world over the age of 13.
I'm completely against an age limit...how should chess, one of the most beautiful games, only be reserved for those who are old...chess should be shared! not divided!
I myself am also 14...
FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLDS BAND TOGETHER!
If under-13s want to play chess they will obviously have to find a different site.