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Monteleone commends other popular online social community’s attempts atdealing directly with online safety issues, but believes that Age and IdentityVerification is a superior solution to recently publicized software integration.Both site users and site management will need to see the final implementation ofthe various software solutions to determine the actual level of effectivenesscompared to our verification system. Blumenthal and the group of 34 stateattorney generals want the popular online communities that mix minors and adultsas peers to cross check users' details with government databases to verify theirage.
Following the Blumenthal model, GMI created GrownUpsOnline.com and implementedthe Age and Identity Verification from the very beginning, thereby avoiding themix of children and grownups that has plagued the other social networks.Monteleone also stated “we don't mix children and adults on a peer levelsocially off line due to the difference in maturity and interests, so why are wemixing children and adults online on the same peer level.” Separation ofchildren from grownups is the solution and Age and Identity Verification is theprocess that the attorney generals are supporting.
Parents are also concerned about user privacy violations. The possible privacyviolation issues are repeatedly being used as a reason for social networks to notuse the Age and Identity Verification system. This just is not the case with thesystem chosen by GrownUpsOnline. Age and Identity Verification actually addressessocial responsibility and privacy compliance issues. Stated on the GrownUpsOnlineregistration page, the process is; SSN Act Compliant, SSNPA Compliant, CustomerPrivacy Act Compliant, DPPA Compliant, FCRA Compliant, Graham Leach-Bliley ActCompliant, COPA Compliant, and COPPA Compliant.
The system reports with a yes or a no that the user submitted registrationinformation is true. GrownUpsOnline does not retain any other information otherthan name, address, age and birthday. Monteleone said “users can still bealiased on the site, but every username is attached to a verified person, of whomonly management knows the true identity. This promotes socially responsiblebehavior as now users can be held accountable for there online actions. This isan added benefit of the system and marks an end to the “Wild WestAtmosphere” that proliferates on other social networking communities"
Pattie Dillon, President of Veratad Technologies, LLC of Englewood, NJ, the Ageand ID Verification firm providing the verification services toGrownUpsOnline.com, stated "Social Networks are a growing part of the InternetCommunity and we are pleased to play a role in facilitating that growth byhelping GrownUpsOnline.com manage responsible online account access. Veratad is aprovider of real-time online Identity Verification Solutions designed to verifyan individual’s identity and age while maintaining a high level of privacyprotection for consumers.” Last year Veratad was selected as a fact witnessby the United States Department of Justice to present testimony on theeffectiveness of online age verification in the ongoing ACLU challenge to theconstitutionality of the Child Online Protection Act (COPA) and has gone on toserve as a consultant to the DOJ regarding this very important case.
The minimum age to join GrownUpsOnline is 21, thereby keeping a separationbetween children and grownups that Monteleone states “have different valuesystems based on their age”. This system is the only way to make theseparation possible. Age and Identity Verification is not a free service, for theprovider or the site member. The cost of the service is one of the issuespreventing its implementation; free sites would need to charge as ad revenues maynot cover the cost of providing the service. GrownUpsOnline charges a small feefor membership, but both management and members realize the fee is the cost ofbuilding trust between its members, and the value of providing a safe Internetenvironment.
