Children with intellectual disabilities have consistently occupied a marginalisedposition within the digital landscape. While they might reap benefits from usingdigital products and services, they... Show moreChildren with intellectual disabilities have consistently occupied a marginalisedposition within the digital landscape. While they might reap benefits from usingdigital products and services, they are also particularly vulnerable to online risks dueto cognitive deficiencies and lower critical literacy skills. As a result, children withintellectual impairments frequently encounter various predicaments, encompassingonline sexual solicitation, exposure to inaccurate information and manipulativebehavioural designs, as well as various privacy and data protection concerns.Regarding these challenges, utilising data protection by design under Article 25(1)GDPR can play a pivotal role in dismantling certain barriers. This approach allowsdigital service providers to take children’s evolving capacities into account andimplement technical and organisational measures appropriate for their age anddevelopmental stage. The aim of this article is to explore what challenges childrenwith intellectual disabilities might confront in the digital environment and examinehow data protection by design can help prevent or mitigate these challenges.Specifically, the article proposes a series of potential measures as the following: (1)presenting information transparently and in a manner accessible to children withintellectual disabilities; (2) crafting an inclusive user interface that enables thesechildren to actively and autonomously engage with the digital environment; (3)integrating interactive assistive tools, such as AI bots, to offer guidance and support;and (4) introducing parental control mechanisms that allow parents to provideassistance in alignment with their children's needs and preferences. Show less
De kans is groot dat jouw kind tijdens het gamen is blootgesteld aan verborgen gokelementen in het spel. De overheid kán iets doen tegen deze manipulatie van game-ontwikkelaars.
Hof, S. van der; Hilten, S.R. van; Ouburg, S.L.; Birk, M.V.; Rooij, A.J. van 2022
Gaming is an important pastime for young people to relax, socialize and have fun, but also to be challenged, show creativity and work together to achieve goals. The design of games can have an... Show moreGaming is an important pastime for young people to relax, socialize and have fun, but also to be challenged, show creativity and work together to achieve goals. The design of games can have an impact on their behavior. With the changing revenue models of games, we see that game design is increasingly taking forms that do not always have a positive impact on children and may interfere with, or even violate, children's rights. This article examines how evolving revenue models of games impact user's behavior via game design. Behavioral design in games thus raises questions about children's rights to play and recreation, to health, to protection from economic exploitation and to data protection. Show less
Fosch Villaronga, E.; Hof, S. van der; Lutz, C.; Tamò Larrieux, A. 2021
Policymakers need to start considering the impact smart connected toys (SCTs) have on children. Equipped with sensors, data processing capacities, and connectivity, SCTs targeting children... Show morePolicymakers need to start considering the impact smart connected toys (SCTs) have on children. Equipped with sensors, data processing capacities, and connectivity, SCTs targeting children increasingly penetrate pervasively personal environ- ments. The network of SCTs forms the Internet of Toys (IoToys) and often increases children's engagement and playtime experience. Unfortunately, this young part of the population and, most of the time, their parents are often unaware of SCTs’ far-reaching capacities and limitations. The capabilities and constraints of SCTs create severe side effects at the technical, individual, and societal level. These side effects are often unforeseeable and unexpected. They arise from the technology's use and the interconnected nature of the IoToys, without necessarily involving malevolence from their creators. Although existing regulations and new ethical guidelines for artificial intelligence provide remedies to address some of the side effects, policymakers did not develop these redress mechanisms having children and SCTs in mind. This article provides an analysis of the arising side effects of SCTs and contrasts them with current regulatory redress mechanisms. We thereby highlight misfits and needs for further policymaking efforts. Show less
The purpose of this article is to show how the smartification of children’s toys impacts the concept of trust. We make use of the 4Cs conceptual trust framework – context, construction, curation,... Show moreThe purpose of this article is to show how the smartification of children’s toys impacts the concept of trust. We make use of the 4Cs conceptual trust framework – context, construction, curation, codification – to analyse how the technological, commercial and legal developments central to the arrival of the Internet of Toys have an impact on the trust relations of children, parents and the companies behind smart dolls. We found that the introduction of smart dolls brings forth several trust issues. First, important vulnerabilities, such as monitoring practices and data-sharing, take place beyond the awareness of children and parents. Even if they try to read the terms and conditions or look into the technical specifications of the toys, these products remain black boxes because the operating systems are proprietary and not all information is disclosed or understandable. Second, with the arrival of smart dolls, a form of hybrid ownership arises. Because of the networked character of the dolls, they remain under the influence and control of the company. Children and parents have to trust the companies not to abuse this connection. And finally, the regulatory framework that should protect children is not only inadequate, it might actually exacerbate trust issues. Show less
Custers, B.H.M.; Dechesne, F.; Sears, A.M.; Tani, T.; Hof, S. van der 2018
This paper explores to what extent the current illusion of autonomy and control by data subjects, including children and parents, based on consent can potentially be mitigated, or even reversed, by... Show moreThis paper explores to what extent the current illusion of autonomy and control by data subjects, including children and parents, based on consent can potentially be mitigated, or even reversed, by putting more emphasis on other tools of protection and empowerment in the GDPR and their opportunities for children. Suggestions are put forward as to how the adoption of such tools may enhance children’s rights and how they could be put into practice by DPAs and data controllers. Keywords: data protection, privacy, child, child rights, GDPR Show less
Wraakporno is het uit wraak via het internet verspreiden van vertrouwelijke, intieme gegevens van de ex-partner. Tot op zekere hoogte is het mogelijk om daders van deze gedragingen strafrechtelijk... Show moreWraakporno is het uit wraak via het internet verspreiden van vertrouwelijke, intieme gegevens van de ex-partner. Tot op zekere hoogte is het mogelijk om daders van deze gedragingen strafrechtelijk ter verantwoording te roepen. Toch is de situatie onbevredigend. De strafbepalingen zijn niet geschreven zijn voor deze speci eke situatie. En de bijzondere kenmerken van het internet maken adequate bescherming van het slachtoffer buitengewoon lastig. Show less
Sumter, S.; Valkenburg, P.M.; Baumgartner, S.E.; Peter, J.; Hof, S. van der 2015
Peer victimization can seriously impair one’s well-being. As youth spend more time on the Internet, a new form of peer victimization has emerged, namely, online peer victimization. To fully... Show morePeer victimization can seriously impair one’s well-being. As youth spend more time on the Internet, a new form of peer victimization has emerged, namely, online peer victimization. To fully comprehend peer victimization among today’s youth, there is a need for a psychometrically sound measure that can assess peer victimization occurring both offline and online. In addition, research has shown that it is also important to distinguish between direct and indirect peer victimization. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop and validate the Multidimensional Offline and Online Peer Victimization Scale (MOOPV). The MOOPV measures how often adolescents experience direct and indirect forms of offline and online peer victimization. The four-factor structure of the MOOPV was confirmed using exploratory (n=325) and confirmatory factor analyses (n=799) among adolescents aged 9–18years. As expected, higher scores on all subscales were related to lower levels of psychosocial wellbeing, i.e., less life satisfaction, more loneliness and less social self-esteem. In all, the 20-item MOOPV proved to be a valid, reliable and highly useful instrument. Importantly, because the MOOPV is not linked to specific technologies, it will remain viable even after new technologies for online communication become available. Show less
Sumter, S.; Valkenburg, P.M.; Baumgartner, S.E.; Peter, J.; Hof, S. van der 2015
Social media process (sometimes large amounts of) personal data of their users, usually on the basis of informed consent. In this article, a comparison is made between, on the one hand, existing... Show moreSocial media process (sometimes large amounts of) personal data of their users, usually on the basis of informed consent. In this article, a comparison is made between, on the one hand, existing practices of social media regarding informed consent for using personal data of users and, on the other hand, user expectations with regard to privacy and informed consent. The comparison is made on the basis of a set of criteria for informed consent distilled from an analytical bibliography. Next, the privacy policies of a selection of eight social network sites and user generated content sites are analyzed using this set of criteria for informed consent. User expectations regarding these criteria were derived from survey results of a large EU-wide online survey (N = 8,621, 26 countries) on the awareness, values, and attitudes of social media users regarding privacy. We find that not all privacy policy criteria are important to users, but most criteria that are important to users can be found in most privacy policies. Show less
