News - Security Issues

Chatroulette: red-hot and controversial

The social networking Web site and latest Internet craze randomly and repeatedly connects users to strangers from all over the world, via their webcams.

But some child advocates are worried that those strangers could include predators talking to kids. Chatroulette says you have to be 16 to use it, however there is no age authentication mechanism.

The setup is simple: Activate your webcam and click "play." Then, as people from all over the world pop up one-at-a-time in a box on your screen, you decide whether or not to chat with them. If you don't like the looks of things, click "next," and the site shuffles you to someone new.

Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, called what's happening on Chatroulette "a huge red flag. This is extreme social networking. Absolutely random. No limits. Graphic sexual content. This is the last place parents want their kids to be."

What should parents do?

"The first thing you need to do," Allen replied, "is simply make sure the computer is not in their room. Kids don't need a webcam in their room. They can connect with Grandma from a webcam in the living room, family room. Talk to your kids about the risk. This is a place that kids will gravitate to, because it's new, it's extreme, it's outrageous. And parents really need to be aware of this and get involved."