[thelist] Re: Security on the web - NEVER post pictures of children (with names)

[Tara Cleveland]

> My policy is NEVER to publish a child's photo online. I told those I
> know who create other sites for Friends (Quakers) they shouldn't,
> either. These predators are very strange; almost anything can cause them
> to fixate on a particular child, and then they will go to almost any
> lengths to get to the child of their fantasies. This is almost never a
> spur of the moment crime; a high degree of planning (and stalking) is
> apparently normal.

By this rule, you wouldn't let a kid out of the house either.

> Furthermore, they don't really need such specific information (though
> you can bet they'll get it). It was reported recently that it's way more
> than twice as easy to snatch a child (from schoolyard, playground, the
> street, etc.) if one knows the child by name, know the name of the
> child's father or mother, etc. The key is to get the child's trust just
> for that minute it takes to get them into the vehicle. If there's no
> struggle, no one pays any attention.

I don't understand why people are so freaked out about this information
being available over the internet. If you've got a child snatcher in your
neighbourhood, it would be much easier for them to follow you around for a
bit to get all of this information. They could check the mail in your
mailbox to find your name or the kids name, but you don't prevent your kids
or yourself from getting mail.

Have there actually been cases of a child snatcher seeing a photo of a kid
on the internet and based solely on that photo, finding out where they live,
travelling there and snatching them? I haven't heard of any, but then I
haven't done any research.

I'd guess that kids are in a lot more danger of molestation and abuse from
people they already know, not random child-snatchers on the net.

I think a lot of it is paranoia and fear-mongering from people who don't
like the internet. Of course maybe I'm not paranoid yet since I don't have
kids of my own.

Regards,
Tara