英国拟出台更严互联网新规

Instagram and Facebook likes could be banned for young people, under new British rules that attempt to protect children’s safety on the Internet.

A new report from the British Information Commissioner’s Office suggests that those features and other techniques that “nudge” users into engaging with the site should be switched off. The features encourage them to stay online longer and so could damage their well being, the report suggests.

The report also suggests that such features should be banned entirely on websites that can’t be sure whether or not their users are under 18. The suggested rules on likes are just one of a whole range of changes to the way social media sites could work.

The changes have already been attacked by critics who suggested they were patronizing and could end with everyone being treated as children.

The code, which began its consultation process last week and is hailed as an international benchmark, suggests 16 standards that online services must meet.

These include that settings must be set to “high privacy” by default without a compelling reason and that only the minimum amount of personal data should be collected.

Nudge techniques should also not be used to encourage children to turn off privacy techniques or provide unnecessary personal data, the code says.

Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said, “This is the connected generation. The Internet and all its wonders are hardwired into their everyday lives.

“We shouldn’t have to prevent our children from being able to use it, but we must demand that they are protected when they do. This code does that.”

Welcoming the proposals, the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) said social networks had “continually failed to prioritize child safety in their design” resulting in “tragic consequences.”

“That’s why it is vital this code requires children to be given the highest privacy settings by default and forces firms to act in the best interest of children,” said Andy Burrows, the charity’s associate head of child safety online.

The consultation is out until May 31 and the final version is expected to come into effect by 2020.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【默认情况下】mòrèn qíngkuàng xià

by default in the absence of opposition or a better alternative

【推动】tuīdòng

nudge press, drive, or impel someone to action

英国出台保护未成年人网络安全新规定，今后未成年人将不能在Ins和脸书上点赞。

英国信息专员办公室的一份最新报告建议，这些迫使用户沉迷于社交网络的功能和其他技术应向未成年人关闭。这些网络功能鼓励未成年人花更多时间上网，对身心健康不利。

这份报告还建议说，如果网站无法确定使用者的年龄是否小于18岁，应全面禁止这些功能。关于社交网站点赞的规定只是一系列社交网络新规的一部分。

这些新规被批评人士抨击，他们认为这些规定是在监视所有人，最终会导致每个人都被当做儿童一样对待。

这项准则提出了16项互联网服务必须遵守的标准，被视为国际性参考准则，上周进入咨询程序。其中包括，在没有不可抗拒的理由的情况下，社交媒体的默认设置必须是“高度隐私”等级，且只能收集用户最少量的个人信息。

另外，社交网络不得使用推送技术来鼓励儿童关闭隐私功能，或提供不必要的个人信息。

信息专员伊丽莎白•德汉姆说：“这是互联的一

代，互联网及其吸引人的产品与他们的日常生活密不可分。”

“我们不应该禁止孩子们使用互联网，但我们必须要求他们在上网时受到保护。这一准则就是为了这个目的出台的。”

英国全国防止虐待儿童学会对这项提议表示欢迎，并称社交网络“一直没能在设计中优先考虑儿童安全”，导致“悲剧性后果”。

该学会儿童网络安全副部长安迪•巴罗斯说：“这也是为什么新规要求儿童有最高等级的默认隐私设置如此重要，这促使各公司的产品符合儿童的最大利益。”

咨询期将至5月31日截止，最终版规定将在2020年开始实施。(Chinadaily.com.cn)