Chapter 11 in the text mentioned the use of Chat logs by parents. These are programs that save all of the discussions that take place on a program such as AIM. The text says, "For some parents, the cost of violating a child's privacy is worth the gain of learning what is on the child's mind." This stood out on the page to me because I had a friend in High School whose parents could constantly monitor his internet surfing histories and AIM chat logs. I actually remember the first time they confronted him with the information they had been stockpiling for over a month. They chastised him for what he said and events that he talked about. This is a clear invasion of privacy, however because of his punishment, my friend became much more conscious of his communications. He would beware of what he said and his communication was very much restricted to face to face. Whether it be strict parents or government agencies, monitoring and such are now a huge part of today’s technological society.
No one can argue that children are vulnderable on the internet. But who can draw the lines between keeping children safe and invading their privacy. Its a grey area whenever privacy is infringed upon.
