Webcams: instant suicide, or safety precaution?

[Replies: 1]

let's set up a scenario here:
Two people meet online, conversing through regular text means for a while, then begin considering a meeting. one of the two owns a webcam and the other agrees to purchace one before the meeting.

now, from this, a few things could happen which could lead to various results:
A: Information is exchanged with the thought "I've been talking with him/her for a while, Im sure I can trust them." this has nothing to do with wether or not the webcam is used, but since it is a possible variant, it is still included. we know that this is highly dangerous
B: the person who owns a webcam already begins using theirs, thus confirming their identity. they do not give any information about location. again, there could be dangers here still, but they would appear generally one sided.
c: both wait untill they each have a webcam before using theirs, thus confirming each other's identity at the same time with virtually no room for fakes. after a bit of time using the cam, the two may agree to a meeting.

as you can see, the webcam generally does one thing: sends out a clear confirmation to anybody that the other person is who they say they are. now, this can be highly destructive or highly constructive, based on the security measures you take about it.
what is everybody else's thoughts about the possible security in using webcams?

Last Post Jul 8, 2006 3:55 PM by: Anne

Anne

Posts: 507

Registered: 6/26/06

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Re: Webcams: instant suicide, or safety precaution?

Jul 8, 2006 3:55 PM

I think those are useful scenarios. There definitely can be an upside to Webcams in how they can help verify that online communicators are who they say they are. But I think the upside is mostly for adults, or at least the downside is much greater where kids are concerned, if they're communicating online with people they've never met in person, the most extreme possibilities having been illlustrated in Justin Berry's story, as told by the New York Times last December (here's my digest in NetFamilyNews). Justin was 13 when he started using a Webcam (without his mom's knowledge), and when he started he thought it would be a great way to meet new friends. He didn't end up meeting a single young person, and apparently all the aduts he did meet had bad intentions.

That's not to say there aren't really good uses for Webcams with kids involved, e.g., distant grandparents actually getting to see their grandchildren, parents and kids in college being able to see each other when they're catching up, friends being able to see buddies who've moved away, etc. But when Webcam use by kids is unsupervised, I think the potential negatives far outweigh the positives. Law-enforcement people also tell me that, because they're so small, they're too easily shipped and concealed without parents' knowledge.

But if my kids were over 18 and using dating sites to find new friends, I'd probably suggest that they do just what you described, if they'd had a period of non-visual communication, feel like they've gotten to know the person, and are thinking about getting together with him/her in person: chat with Webcams (at both ends, of course) before you make a date. That's a great idea!

majikjohn109

Posts: 3

Registered: 7/5/06

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