歐盟青少年網絡限制令惹惱硅谷巨頭

歐盟青少年網絡限制令惹惱硅谷巨頭

新法規(guī)將意味著，企業(yè)如果處理沒有征得父母許可的15歲或以下青少年的數(shù)據(jù)，將構成非法行為，歐盟將于周二對這項針對青少年的網絡使用進行限制的法案進行最終討論。

測試中可能遇到的詞匯和知識：

blowing a hole 破壞，漏洞

frantic 瘋狂的[’fr?nt?k]

amendment 修正案[?’mendm?nt]

negotiator 談判者[n?’g???ie?t?(r)]

savvy 精明的[’s?vi]

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Europe’s tech-mad teens face tighter parental controls （625words）

By Duncan Robinson in Brussels, Murad Ahmed in London and Hannah Kuchler in San Francisco

* * *

European teenagers face having to secure parental permission to join the likes of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat before the age of 16, under new EU data protection proposals that are riling US technology companies.

The new regulations would make it illegal for companies to handle data from anyone aged 15 or younger without the consent of parents, potentially blowing a hole in the business models of social media companies that have relied on teenage users for rapid growth.

A senior executive at one US tech group said: “This is a ban that will [require] millions of kids and teenagers to get permission from their parents to use internet services. That includes email accounts, social media platforms and downloading apps.”

US tech groups have launched a frantic lobbying effort against the proposal — a last-minute amendment to rules on data protection which have been working their way through Brussels since 2012.

A coalition including Google, Facebook and Twitter on Monday accused negotiators of rushing the amendment and not consulting child-safety organisations. The ICT Coalition for Children Online said there had been no explanation for raising the age for 16, and pushed for it to remain at 13, saying it would only incentivise children between 13-16 to lie about their age and could restrict their access to important online support services.

Alexander Whalen, senior policy manager of Digital Europe, a group which represents the tech industry in Brussels, said: “It is unreasonable to think that a child of 15 needs parental consent in every situation. These are last-minute changes”.

The amendment states that processing data of “a child below the age of 16 years shall only be lawful if and to the extent that such consent is given or authorised by the holder of parental responsibility over the child”. In previous drafts, this limit applied only to those 13 and under.

The final round of talks between the European Parliament and member states will start on Tuesday, with legislators hoping to have a deal finalised by the end of the year.

Tech-savvy teenagers brought up in the digital age tend to be early adopters of social networks. The networks themselves then use this as a sales pitch to lure advertisers, who fear they cannot reach a young audience that no longer watches much live TV. This has led to groups such as Snapchat, which lets users send pictures that disappear after a few seconds, being valued at $16bn earlier this year.

All companies — from tech groups to supermarkets — must comply with a host of extra regulations on privacy or face big fines of up to 4 per cent of global turnover, according to the latest texts of the “general data protection regulation”, which has not yet been completed.

Children have to be 13 to join most major social networks from Facebook to Snapchat because of a US regulation that requires sites to obtain permission from their parents before collecting personal information.

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act applies to all children under the age of 13 in the US and has become a standard worldwide. However, it does not protect children who lie about their age in order to access networks.

Social networks have begun creating secondary apps specifically for children. The YouTube Kids app was set up to contain only child-friendly programming, while Snapchat has experimented with SnapKidz, an app feature that allowed children under 13 to take pictures and draw on them — but not send them.

Even within these apps, some features have caused controversy. YouTube Kids, released this year, faced criticism for allowing children to search the full site, bringing them into contact with inappropriate material if they sought it out. Parents now have to explicitly decide whether or not to let their children search.

請根據(jù)你所讀到的文章內容，完成以下自測題目：

1. Who will be the new one to have to get parents’ permission before join the Facebook if the new regulations work?

a. a freshman at college

b. a 15-year-old boy in China

c. children under 13

d. a 14-year-old girl

2. What can a 15-year-old boy do without parents’ permission under the new regulations?

a. email accounts

b. social media platforms

c. send the mobile message

d. downloading apps

3. Where were negotiators accused by the coalition?

a. ignored child-safety organizations

b. increased the expense

c. fewer customers

d. attracted hackers’ attention

4. Why YouTube Kids faced criticism?

a. allowing children to search the full site

b. don’t need parents’ permission

c. children spending too much time

d. collecting personal information

[1] 答案d. a 14-year-old girl

解釋：新的歐盟數(shù)據(jù)保護提議，不到16歲的歐洲青少年必須先獲得父母同意才能加入Facebook。舊規(guī)定中這個限制是13歲。

[2] 答案c. send the mobile message

解釋：這項禁令將（要求）數(shù)以百萬計的兒童和青少年獲得父母的許可才能使用互聯(lián)網服務。它包括電子郵件賬戶、社交媒體平臺和下載應用。

[3] 答案a. ignored child-safety organizations

解釋：包括谷歌(Google)、Facebook和Twitter在內的聯(lián)盟昨日指責談判者倉促提出修正內容，而沒有咨詢兒童安全組織。

[4] 答案a. allowing children to search the full site

解釋：文章倒數(shù)后兩段，盡管媒體公司未來兒童用戶開發(fā)了專屬應用，但還是有批評的聲音。