Today I had the pleasant opportunity to be reminded that we cannot (and should not) control content on the Internet. I fully believe that the Internet is an open market where consumers and sellers, friends and family, and students and mentors should be able to pass products, ideas, and wisdom without fear of judgement or persecution. I call that free agency - the right to choose our path in this world, how we speak on our path, and what we choose to do with the information present on this path. Some will get this reference to one of the best movies I reflect on, "This is my path. There are many like it, but this one is mine."
However, that does not give the Internet free agency. There is a distinct difference, I choose for me, the Internet does not choose for me. I have the obligation to myself and my kids to control the content I want them to see. This is my obligation, there are many like it, but this one is mine.
I recently had a great talk with a business owner about his profession. He specializes in the web filtration of information that is not invited into the household. Brad, the owner of Online Safety Solutions, LLC went over quite a few of the different dangers lurking on the Internet, trying to find its way in front of our kid's eyes, and how he set out on a quest to stop as much of this as he could. He didn't set out to censor the Internet, he set out to control what his household is viewing. He discussed the implications of viruses, malicious code, and threats such as exploitation of minors. This one - exploitation of minors, this one stuck.
Brad has a passion. While his service to customers encompasses all harmful data on the Internet trying to interject into the household, his passion is to end exploitation of children - a much higher purpose than just blocking or filtering content. I began to reflect on why this is such an important topic. Not the content in the Internet, the content my children are inviting into their lives - and worse, I don't know about it. How is it that with all of the technology available to us, the vicious exploitation of children is not stopped? I will be so bold to tell you that it is because of the parents. We choose to ignore what our kids are watching, or we choose to remain ignorant of what content is available on the Internet. Let's take chat rooms for example. I just learned of a new chat room that allows the users to completely hide their actions. So how would we know if our children are communicating with an adult predator? We probably wouldn't. This problem lies directly at the heart of Brad's passion - not just being able to know about the Internet content our children are inviting into their lives, but also the technology they are using to accomplish it.
Child predators specialize in one thing - getting children to comply. We use to make a joke about the van with no windows and a guy offering free candy. Our suspicions of this type of activity in the real world should be no different than in the cyber world. The child predator will stop at nothing to find a kiddo just waiting to exploit. It is my guess that social media or chat rooms are largely responsible for the Internet exploitation of the kiddo. Perhaps we can reflect on a social need for a moment; someone to listen to our problems. Imagine if you will, your pre-teen or teenager is in a chat room discussing all of their worldly problems. Inside of this chat there is one person that is replying with all of the right answers. His chat room identity looks harmless, and his replies are spot on - good enough to get the full, undivided attention of your teenager. Soon, he has her completely mesmerized by the amount of wisdom he provides to her problems and she trusts him - perhaps even starts to believe she could love him. His passion and knowledge has swallowed her whole and she is ready to do whatever he wants. He finally breaks it to her that he is not a teenager, but a man in his 30s. She doesn't care. She needs to talk with him. She needs to feel the security he provides her. He has answered her social need. The next step in this series is for the predator to get more. He now has the open door to get whatever he wants out of her. First, it begins with pictures, progressing to phone calls, and eventually they will meet. And You. Did. Nothing.
So here is where Brad's passion comes into play. Educate parents on what they don't know, help them understand better what they do know, and give them the tools to provide safe passage for their children on the Internet. Me being the ever businessman, looking for opportunities to expand, ensure costs are low, and ultimately gain the largest margins possible, started to ask why he ISN'T charging more? He could be making way more in margins! Brad's answer was astonishing and made me completely believe he is on the right track. "It's not about margins, it's about making the Internet what parents choose it to be in regards to their homes. And if that stops the exploitation of children, then I want every family to be able to afford it."
I fully suggest you take a look at www.mycybershield.com. You should, as a parent, take responsibility for what your children see and do on the Internet. It is NOT the Internet's fault or responsibility - it is YOURS. This is my fault. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
***Note: The original quote comes from the the movie Full Metal Jacket - 1987. However, the original saying is the Marine Corps Rifleman's Creed. If I had asked Brad to put this quote into his own words, he might have said, "This is my passion. There are many like it, but this one is mine."
