Some privacy advocates were rankled when Facebook announced changes to its policies last week that allow teens to post public updates that can be viewed by anyone in the world. But Facebook has contemplated another rule change that could prove even more controversial. Facebook's manager of privacy and safety says the social network has "thought a lot about" opening up the site to children under the age of 13. Because despite the current rules stating that you have to reach your teens before signing up for Facebook, plenty of young kids are using the site anyway, often with the help of their parents. "In the U.S., the Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act starts at 13 and it says that companies shouldn't collect information from kids ... if they're under the age of 13 without parental consent, so that's a law we abide by," said Nicky Jackson Colaco in a recent interview. She acknowledged that Facebook has discussed ways of letting kids under 13 use Facebook without violating the act. "It's something we've thought a lot about, we've actually been asked by a lot of different people to open up the site. It's something that obviously we would approach very, very thoughtfully with a lot of outside advice from safety experts, advocates and public figures," Colaco said. Read more http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/facebook-considers-opening-site-to-preteens-1.2158439
