Net ID scheme offers passport to online safety, especially for children online

An online security entrepreneur says that he has designed a virtual ID card to keep children safe while surfing the Internet. Net-ID me claims to be the first Internet Age and Identity Verification System that validates the identities of individuals of all ages.

NetIDme is a secure on-line electronic identity card that displays the user's first name, age, gender, and general location. Children, especially can use it to swap online when in chat rooms and social networks or even exchanging instant messages.

With research firm eMarketer saying that 75 percent of children are willing to share personal information online about themselves and their family in exchange for goods and services and according to the Centre for Missing and Exploited Children only one-third of households with Internet access protecting their children with filters or blocking software, perhaps there has never been a better time.

The Glasgow-based company expects to have about 100,000 users by the end of the year.

NetIDme founder, Alex Hewitt, developed the product after being shocked to learn his daughter had 150 people on her internet "buddy list", but knew the ages and identities of less than 50 of them. Which seems to prove that some children are too willing to give up personal information to people they don't know and it's become a major problem.

He said he needed to come up with a way to protect her, so created software that works on a secure public and private-key system. It works on the principal that "If you want to give me your ID, the system creates a virtual ID card and sends it to me. Only I can view and lock that information, so I can't pass on the card to someone else and pretend to be you."

After having been trialled by schools in the United Kingdom the system is now being released in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. The manufacturers claim it will stop amongst others, paedophiles being able to hide their age when chatting online.

According to the designer of the system it "removes the anonymity which is the main problem of the internet and provides traceability"

It's certainly a tragic fact of life that some people can tend to behave quite badly and even do things they wouldn't normally do if they believe no-one is looking or that they cannot be identified. The NetIDme may go some way in providing an answer.

People on the Internet have been known to pretend they are someone they are not in an effort to gain trust, harass or bully others. Sadly paedophilia is an example of this behaviour. Youngsters, and for that matter others of any age, can share their ID cards online, theoretically proving their ages and other information. This way they can decide beforehand whether to chat or not. Net-ID-me attempts to ensure this type of information and reduce risk of predators from remaining anonymous online by having and additional and more robust security in place.

Kids are encouraged to use the system to check the identity of people they communicate with online by being awarded points for each ID they check or issue. The points are exchanged for prizes like music or ring tones.

It's fair to say that nothing is fool proof, never more so in this area of proving identities. Nonetheless it is probably a step in the right direction towards discouraging abusers from hiding behind the mantle of Internet anonymity.

It should probably be considered more a form of "raising the bar" against the unscrupulous and deterring those who would attempt to access children for all the wrong reasons.

Others are trying to do similar things. SearchHelp, a US-based, software and services company geared toward protecting kids online, is looking at other ways to verify the person's identity but thus far no details are available.

Probably the most dangerous aspect of all is that it may cause parents to think they no longer have to monitor their children's online activities as closely as they might beforehand. This is worrying because it could make parents believe that their children are completely safe when the reality is simply not true. Certainly there are benefits, but it is still critical parents supervise and educate their children without relying on this card to allay all their fears. Certainly over-hyping the benefits could end up causing more harm than good. That of course doesn't mean it's not a worthy idea.

Problems could also occur if only one person has the card, since the system only works if both have the card. This could mean that some friends won't be able to keep in contact online, even in those circumstances where the identity of the person on the other end is definitely known.

Other problems could be the costs to purchase and then use might put some parents off.

This particular system requires a registration and there is a cost involved. Parents and children can apply for the card online. Members are verified and sent paperwork through the mail for parents to sign.

When Net ID receive the completed form and the identity has been verified, they send you an email to let you know that your identity has been verified, and the electronic Net-ID card will now display your first name, age, gender and general location.

Apart from the verification checks with schools or professionals, there are also confidential checks devised in conjunction with the police which are designed to snare paedophiles who try to con the system.

Arthur Hissey
Computer Research & Technology
www.crt.net.au