Yes. Is Scratch illegal?

Note - I DO NOT THINK SCRATCH IS ILLEGAL! I AM JUST CURIOUS IF THERE IS SOMETHING HERE THAT SCRATCH WOULD BE AN EXCEPTION FOR!

A lot of people think Scratch is social media, and I would agree. The definition for “Social Media” is as following

“websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.”

On Scratch, you can create and share content (projects) and participate in social networking (comment, forums, heart + star, following)
The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act bars children under 13 from creating accounts on social media apps. Scratch, is very clearly meant for kids. In this case, would that make Scratch illegal? Would that make the kids making accounts lawbreakers? I don't think either of these are true, I am just curious to see what exception makes Scratch not applicable to this law.

Edit: Fixed Typo

Scratch doesn't really count as social media because the main purpose of it is making projects rather than communicating with other people.

_turtle64 wrote:

Scratch doesn't really count as social media because the main purpose of it is making projects rather than communicating with other people.

I saw many forums, including this one. I saw one where KangaCoder said that it was but I forget now.

My understanding of COPPA is that it doesn't entirely ban users under 13 from using social media, but instead places stricter requirements on sites that allow users under 13. Many social media sites do not want to go through the effort to meet those requirements, so they simply block users under 13. However, Scratch does comply with those restrictions and can allow users under 13.

jvvg wrote:

My understanding of COPPA is that it doesn't entirely ban users under 13 from using social media, but instead places stricter requirements on sites that allow users under 13. Many social media sites do not want to go through the effort to meet those requirements, so they simply block users under 13. However, Scratch does comply with those restrictions and can allow users under 13.

The 100% deletion standard?

https/www.ftc.gov/system/files/2012-31341.pdf wrote:

Section 312.2(b) of the Rule defines
‘‘collects or collection’’ to cover
enabling children to publicly post
personal information (e.g., on social
networking sites or on blogs), ‘‘except
where the operator deletes all
individually identifiable information
from postings by children before they
are made public, and also deletes such
information from the operator’s
records.’’ 19 This exception, often
referred to as the ‘‘100% deletion
standard,’’ was designed to enable sites
and services to make interactive content
available to children, without providing
parental notice and obtaining consent,
provided that all personal information
was deleted prior to posting.2
/snip
To address this,
the Commission proposed replacing the
100% deletion standard with a
‘‘reasonable measures’’ standard.

Its a freaking kids site

gdfsgdfsgdfg wrote:

Its a freaking kids site

Yes, it is a kids site, but it is also social networking. Read this document to find out more.

Just because a site allows for social networking does not mean it has to be inaccessible for <13 year olds. Scratch has made it so anyone can use the site without easily stumbling upon content that isn't for every age group

ajskateboarder wrote:

Just because a site allows for social networking does not mean it has to be inaccessible for <13 year olds. Scratch has made it so anyone can use the site without easily stumbling upon content that isn't for every age group

“easily stumbling upon” isn't good enough. COPPA requires that you must 100% censor all posts containing personal info (to a “reasonable measure”), BEFORE it gets posted. Please read the article i f you don't understand.

yeah its not illegal but maybe it needs an age thing so you need to be like 10+ that would be nice whats this small thing do hmmm

scratch isn't a social media it's a programming language

(pick random (sus) to (sus))

idk i never knew what this scratch posting thing is

tinnery wrote:

scratch isn't a social media it's a programming language

Scratch is both, a programming language, and a social media platform.

A_Nyan_In_Space wrote:

ajskateboarder wrote:

Just because a site allows for social networking does not mean it has to be inaccessible for <13 year olds. Scratch has made it so anyone can use the site without easily stumbling upon content that isn't for every age group

“easily stumbling upon” isn't good enough. COPPA requires that you must 100% censor all posts containing personal info (to a “reasonable measure”), BEFORE it gets posted. Please read the article i f you don't understand.

Name one site that does this. This is impractical to implement for many obvious reasons

Scratch's community and moderation team acts as a barrier to posting personal info, and it prevents personal information from getting posted possibly in mere minutes. You can do this too, if you report posts which contain personal info

Let Me Google It…

ajskateboarder wrote:

A_Nyan_In_Space wrote:

ajskateboarder wrote:

Just because a site allows for social networking does not mean it has to be inaccessible for <13 year olds. Scratch has made it so anyone can use the site without easily stumbling upon content that isn't for every age group

“easily stumbling upon” isn't good enough. COPPA requires that you must 100% censor all posts containing personal info (to a “reasonable measure”), BEFORE it gets posted. Please read the article i f you don't understand.

Name one site that does this. This is impractical to implement for many obvious reasons

Scratch's community and moderation team acts as a barrier to posting personal info, and it prevents personal information from getting posted possibly in mere minutes. You can do this too, if you report posts which contain personal info

Yes and, literally following the part of the article I quoted, and was in the snip I quoted, was this:
The 2010 FRN sought comment on
whether to change the 100% deletion
standard, whether automated systems
used to review and post child content
could meet this standard, and whether
the Commission had provided sufficient
guidance on the deletion of personal
information.21 In response, several
commenters urged a new standard,
arguing that the 100% deletion
standard, while well-intentioned, was
an impediment to operators’
implementation of sophisticated
automated filtering technologies that
may actually aid in the detection and
removal of personal information.22
In the 2011 NPRM, the Commission
stated that the 100% deletion standard
set an unrealistic hurdle to operators’
implementation of automated filtering
systems that could promote engaging
and appropriate online content for
children, while ensuring strong privacy
protections by design. To address this,
the Commission proposed replacing the
100% deletion standard with a
‘‘reasonable measures’’ standard. Under
this approach, an operator would not be
deemed to have collected personal
information if it takes reasonable
measures to delete all or virtually all
personal information from a child’s
postings before they are made public,
and also to delete such information from
its records.

RiftPatch wrote:

A_Nyan_In_Space wrote:

Yes. Is Scratch illegal?

Note - I DO NOT THINK SCRATCH IS ILLEGAL! I AM JUST CURIOUS IF THERE IS SOMETHING HERE THAT SCRATCH WOULD BE AN EXCEPTION FOR!

A lot of people think Scratch is social media, and I would agree. The definition for “Social Media” is as following

“websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.”

On Scratch, you can create and share content (projects) and participate in social networking (comment, forums, heart + star, following)
The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act bars children under 13 from creating accounts on social media apps. Scratch, is very clearly meant for kids. In this case, would that make Scratch illegal? Would that make the kids making accounts lawbreakers? I don't think either of these are true, I am just curious to see what exception makes Scratch not applicable to this law.

Edit: Fixed Typo

wε αrε τθθ gθθd.

lol u did all that to fix typo i salute you lol

RiftPatch wrote:

Let Me Google It…

just go to this link https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/m/topic/685502/

BanditsBoy wrote:

RiftPatch wrote:

A_Nyan_In_Space wrote:

Yes. Is Scratch illegal?

Note - I DO NOT THINK SCRATCH IS ILLEGAL! I AM JUST CURIOUS IF THERE IS SOMETHING HERE THAT SCRATCH WOULD BE AN EXCEPTION FOR!

A lot of people think Scratch is social media, and I would agree. The definition for “Social Media” is as following

“websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.”

On Scratch, you can create and share content (projects) and participate in social networking (comment, forums, heart + star, following)
The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act bars children under 13 from creating accounts on social media apps. Scratch, is very clearly meant for kids. In this case, would that make Scratch illegal? Would that make the kids making accounts lawbreakers? I don't think either of these are true, I am just curious to see what exception makes Scratch not applicable to this law.

Edit: Fixed Typo

wε αrε τθθ gθθd.

lol u did all that to fix typo i salute you lol

ok

A_Nyan_In_Space wrote:

ajskateboarder wrote:

A_Nyan_In_Space wrote:

ajskateboarder wrote:

Just because a site allows for social networking does not mean it has to be inaccessible for <13 year olds. Scratch has made it so anyone can use the site without easily stumbling upon content that isn't for every age group

“easily stumbling upon” isn't good enough. COPPA requires that you must 100% censor all posts containing personal info (to a “reasonable measure”), BEFORE it gets posted. Please read the article i f you don't understand.

Name one site that does this. This is impractical to implement for many obvious reasons

Scratch's community and moderation team acts as a barrier to posting personal info, and it prevents personal information from getting posted possibly in mere minutes. You can do this too, if you report posts which contain personal info

Yes and, literally following the part of the article I quoted, and was in the snip I quoted, was this:
snip

This doesn't answer my slightly off topic question Which sites have reliably been able to censor personal information in posts before being made?