Webcam Lawlessness

Young Turn to Web Sites Without Rules:

This is an article from the New York Times that talks about new websites that are social sites, sort of like MySpace. However, they allow live cam to cam chat between users sometimes without any moderation or enforceable age restrictions.

Popular Web sites like YouTube and MySpace have hired the equivalent of school hallway monitors to police what visitors to their sites can see and do by cracking down on piracy and depictions of nudity and violence.

So where do the young thrill-seekers go?

Increasingly, to new Web sites like Stickam.com, which is building a business by going where others fear to tread: into the realm of unfiltered live broadcasts from Web cameras.

The site combines elements of more popular sites, but with a twist. In addition to designing their own pages and uploading video clips, its users broadcast live video of themselves and conduct face-to-face video chats with other users, often from their bedrooms and all without monitoring by any of Stickam’s 35 employees.

Well, if that doesn’t have predator haven written all over it, I don’t know what does. It’s almost like the owners of the site see a hornet’s nest and decided to whack it with a stick. Once the first lawsuit comes, they’ll probably change their minds.

What makes it even worse is that the site’s owners have the unabashed arrogance to say their site is safer than MySpace…

Mr. Kihioka of Stickam said that in some respects, his site was actually safer than other social networks. Live video feeds let users ‘know who they are talking to,’ he said. ‘Unlike MySpace, it is hard to disguise yourself.’ But he added that his company had the same concerns about child safety as MySpace and was working on an automated system that would monitor live video feeds for indecency.

Here’s an idea, Sparky. How about getting that little bug straightened out before going live?

Not only that, but think of how many sites have gotten in trouble for unmoderated cam to cam chats or unmoderated webcams. Yahoo, I’m looking at you.

Considering the site’s feature has been banned by MySpace itself, that should tell you something about the relative safety of its features.

Thanks to Jessica for the link.