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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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Web Monitoring Firm Sells Kids' Chatter

Company also notifies parents when kids go astray online

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(Newser) – A company that polices children's Internet chatter is also selling it to companies that want marketing data on the quick, CNET reports. Sentry Parental Control Software, which monitors kids online—and triggers a phone call to parents when kids go astray—is amassing their chatter about products and selling it. But "we never, ever, ever can identify who the kid is who is saying it," says Echometrix CEO Jeffrey Greene.

The service helps companies "in real time, find out what the kids are saying about your product and all your competitors' products," says Greene. "I can't tell you who said it, I can only just tell you that a lot of kids said it." Meanwhile, the software combs through kids' chatter for some 29,000 words, including slang "Weblish"—including terms like POS, or Parent Over Shoulder.

Echometrix, which makes software that helps parents monitor their kids online, sells children's chatter
Echometrix, which makes software that helps parents monitor their kids online, sells children's chatter "in real time" for marketing purposes.   (Shutterstock)
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3 comments
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JohnnyDummkopf
Sep 5, 09 7:09 PM CDT
Never say never. Reply
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Jojo
Sep 5, 09 7:31 PM CDT
You know, if people just worried about producing a good product, they wouldn't have to buy eavesdropping on kids. You know how much extra we pay for things because of these ridiculous convoluted costs being added? Millions spent on test marketing, focus groups, buying "chatter", hiring people to twitter about it... they really need to stop the madness. Reply
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+3
Mad
Sep 6, 09 12:03 AM CDT
POS = Piece of shit, as in, any parent that voice monitors their child Reply
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+2
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