Kuqikelelwa ukuba i-5.6 yezigidi zabathengi be-Facebook - malunga neepesenti ze-3.5 zabasebenzisi bayo base-US - ngabantwana abathi inkampani ivaliwe kwisayithi.
I-Facebook kunye nezinye iiwebhusayithi ezininzi zithintela abantu abangaphantsi kweminyaka eyi-13 ngenxa yokuba uMthetho woKhuseleko lwaBantwana kwi-Intanethi (i-COPPA) ufuna iiwebhusayithi ukuba zinike impatho eyodwa kubantwana abaneminyaka eli-12 nangaphantsi. Umthetho ujolise ekuyekiseni abathengisi ukuba bakhuphe ulwazi lobuqu ebantwaneni okanye basebenzise idatha yabo ukuze babhengeze kubo. Iisayithi kufuneka zifumane imvume yabazali ngaphambi kokuba zivumele abantwana ukuba bangene, kwaye kufuneka bathathe amanyathelo okukhusela ubumfihlo.
I-Facebook iyala ukuvuma ukuba uninzi lwemizamo yayo yokuvimba abantwana ayisebenzi.
Lo mbandela uthathe ukufaneleka okutsha njengoko i-Federal Trade Commission igqibezela imithetho yokukhawulela ngakumbi iinkampani kunye neewebhusayithi ezijoliswe kulutsha okanye ezijoliswe kubaphulaphuli abancinci.
Inkampani yezonxibelelwano uFacebook, enabasebenzisi abazizigidi ezingama-955, uthe lo mthetho awusebenzi kuyo kuba umisela ngokuphandle ukusetyenziswa kwendawo yayo kubantu abaneminyaka eyi-13 nangaphezulu.
UFacebook wenze inkqubela ethile ekuchongeni abangekafiki nokubangabandakanyi kwisiza. Uphononongo lweeNgxelo zoMthengi kaJuni lubonise ukuba i-Facebook isusa uninzi lwabasebenzisi abangama-800,000 abangaphantsi kweminyaka eyi-13 ngonyaka ngenkqubo yokuhlola i-tiered, leyo inkampani iyala ukuyichaza.
Uphononongo lusaqikelela ukuba abantwana abazizigidi ezi-5.6 bakuFacebook, inani abathi iingcali libandakanya abaninzi abenza iiakhawunti ngoncedo lwabazali babo.
Idatha yeeNgxelo zabaThengi ivela kuphando lukaJanuwari 2012 lwabantu abadala abangama-2,002 abane-Intanethi yasekhaya. Abathathi-nxaxheba bakhethwa yi-TNS, inkampani yophando. Umda wemposiso udibanise okanye uthabathe ipesenti ezi-2 zeepesenti.
“Akothusi kuthi ukubona abantwana abaneminyaka eli-12 bechwechwa kuFacebook,” utshilo uSihlalo weFTC uJon Leibowitz, esithi le meko “inzima kakhulu” ukuba abazali bayabanceda. Ngaba iyakhathaza? Ngandlel’ ithile kuba njalo. Ingaba libali elimnyama namhlophe? Hayi ncma."
Uvavanyo lweReuters lwenkqubo yokubhalisa kuFacebook lubonisa ukuba umntwana unokugqitha kwizinto zokukhangela indawo ngokulula. Isiza sithintele ngokufanelekileyo ubhaliso olungeyonyani olusuka kumsebenzisi olindelekileyo. Kodwa emva kokulinda iyure, isiza samkela ubhaliso kusetyenziswa igama elifanayo, i-imeyile, igama eliyimfihlo kunye nosuku lokuzalwa kodwa licaphula unyaka wokuzalwa owahlukileyo.
I-Facebook yalile ukuxoxa ngedatha okanye ukuchaza iinzame zayo zokugxotha abantwana. Isithethi uFrederic Wolens uthe kwi-imeyile ukuba uFacebook "uzibophelele ekuphuculeni ukhuseleko kubo bonke abantu abancinci kwi-Intanethi."
ULarry Magid, osebenza kwibhodi yabacebisi bakaFacebook kunye nokwalathisa iqela le-Intanethi elithi Connect Safely, uthe yena nabanye bawufundile lo mbandela kangangonyaka kwaye abafumani ndlela yakuchaza ukuba abantwana bayaxoka kwi-Intanethi.
“Ekuphela kwesisombululo endisaziyo kukufikelela kuhlobo oluthile lwesazisi sesizwe okanye iirekhodi zesikolo,” utshilo. “Kukho izizathu ezivakalayo zokuba singayenzi le nto. … Ndiqinisekile ukuba kulula ngokwenene ukwenza oku kulawulo lobuzwilakhe.”
USenator uRichard Blumenthal, igqwetha eliyimfihlo elinomntwana omncinci oneminyaka eli-18 ubudala, uthe ukuba sesichengeni kwabantwana kubantu abanokubaxhaphaza ngokwesondo kunye nokuba sesichengeni sokubhengeza zizizathu zokugcina i-12-nangaphantsi kokuseta uninzi lweewebhusayithi. “Abantwana bethu bebengekho kuFacebook ngelo xesha, kwaye ngebengekho ngoku,” utshilo.
Xa abafikisayo okanye "abalishumi elinambini" bengena kwi-intanethi bahlala beveza idatha ebuthathaka, utshilo uKathryn Montgomery, ofundisa kwiYunivesithi yaseMelika kwaye wayengumthetheleli wokuqala we-COPPA Tlaw ka-1998.
“Into ebesinethemba lokuyenza ngolu hlobo lwemithetho kukwenza ukuba iinkampani ziphathe uxanduva ebantwaneni. Akukho lula ukwenza,” utshilo uMontgomery.
(Zaman namhlanje)
