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from the your-tinfoil-hat-won't-save-you-this-time dept.
A law requiring the mass installation of spyware on teenagers' smartphones suggests that the frightening level of population control exercised by its neighbours in "Best Korea" has rubbed off on the Republic's administrators in Seoul.
The Republic of South Korea's Communications Commission, a media regulator modeled after the United States' FCC, now requires telecom companies and parents to ensure a monitoring app is installed whenever anyone under the age of 19 receives a new smartphone.
The measure will only slowly come into force over the next few years as it doesn't require old smartphones be updated, although AP reports that most schools in South Korea sent out letters to parents encouraging them to install the software anyway.
One particular monitoring app called Smart Sheriff was funded and developed by the South Korean government with the declared intent of blocking children's access to pornography.The app, however, effectively allows parents "to monitor how long their kids use their smartphones, how many times they use apps and which websites they visit.
Some send a child's location data to parents and issue an alert when a child searches keywords such as 'suicide', 'pregnancy' and 'bully' or receives messages with those words", reports AP.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday May 20 2015, @12:46PM
When a child is suicidal, quite commonly the reason is abuse at the hands of their parents. Notifying the parents that their child is trying to find a way out is not likely to yield the desired response.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Wednesday May 20 2015, @08:25PM
Not to mention that I can see teenagers being suicidal over 24/7 surveillance by their parents.
I had always been wondering, "With how unpopular government surveillance is, how does it keep being a thing?" Then I realized, that many voters are parents and "won't somebody think of the children?" is a powerful motivator.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday May 20 2015, @11:53PM
When a child is suicidal, quite commonly the reason is abuse at the hands of their parents. Notifying the parents that their child is trying to find a way out is not likely to yield the desired response.
Man that sounds horrible! It must really suck being forced into Apple products.
(Score: 2) by K_benzoate on Thursday May 21 2015, @01:43AM
Are you seriously singling out Apple so as to imply Windows Phone or Android are better for your privacy?
Climate change is real and primarily caused by human activity.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 22 2015, @01:14PM
(Score: 2) by edIII on Thursday May 21 2015, @11:09PM
I don't believe the approach had the best interests of the child, or any South Korean in mind for that matter. Establishing these kinds of controls early on in childhood is about getting them used to ubiquitous surveillance, and the culture of no privacy from those in authority. It's interesting that this is being mentioned at the same time Russia has developed anti-protester technology. Is it just bullying, suicide, and pregnancy being monitored? Or is it also keywords indicative of political dissent or rebellion against authority?
At 19, a South Korean will be free from their parents, most likely to find that the state became their new parents with continued controls and invasive information collection procedures, which they will be used to and more likely to cooperate.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.