(no subject)

[elizalavelle]

Hey look, LJ is batshit crazy. I'm sure most of you have been made somewhat aware of the flagging that can be done to entries now for adult content. Well now LJ needs a way for users who incorrectly entered their date of birth into the system to correct it.

Additionally, we are determining what the best option available is for users who initially entered an incorrect date of birth. As a temporary solution, anyone who is experiencing this problem can contact coppa@livejournal.com with their username and a copy of any government issued identification which includes a date of birth. Full entry here.

Okay, hell no.

Firstly, I don't think there's anyone on my friends list who would do this but just in case, do not send these people your legal ID. Huge safty risk, HUGE! They keep making updates without fully testing them first and now are coming up with far worse solutions for the problems they're now having. Please if you feel you must send in ID to prove your age at this point then black out all personal information other than your birth date. Personally I wouldn't trust anything sent into these people to be kept 100% confidential. So if you're sending them personal information please be really aware of that and be safe.

Comments

[moire2.livejournal.com]

As a temporary solution, anyone who is experiencing this problem can contact coppa@livejournal.com with their username and a copy of any government issued identification which includes a date of birth.

Uh... Hell no. These people are bat-shit crazy.

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Why would you put your personal information into the hands of strangers? They haven't even said that it would be secure or what they plan to do with the emailed IDs once they're done. Half baked plan at best.

[jordle.livejournal.com]

Wow. Surely people won't actually do that!

This LJ crap gets worse and worse.

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping that no one will do it but really there are a lot of not so bright people in the world. I'm sure some IDs will actually be sent in.

[willow-kat.livejournal.com]

Okay, that's weird and stupid...

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

Yes, and yes. LJ... still going downhill :(

[willow-kat.livejournal.com]

Indeed... but I refuse to leave because I've paid them ENTIRELY too much money to allow them to abscond with it, and I'm too broke to afford a permanent account at IJ ^_^;;;

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

Ditto. I don't want to give up this journal here, although I did nab my screenname at insane journal just in case, but I'm just keeping aware of what's happening here.

[willow-kat.livejournal.com]

*nods* I'm doing the crossposting thing because I have a couple friends who've abandoned LJ entirely (or mostly), plus I want to have that escape plan if it comes to it.

I also have my journal backed up on both IJ and GJ (though I just use GJ as a mirror more than anything - I don't check it at all).

[avathebrat.livejournal.com]

That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard. Why doesn't LJ just open up the birth date field on the profile page and allow users to edit it themselves?

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

They shut it down, I think when the flagging option was created, and now you have to use a credit card to sign up or send in ID. I think those are the two options. As I have my d.o.b in there already it won't let me look at the page that one uses to verify their birthdate so those are the only two options I've read about thus far.

I think the idea is that they don't want people to lie about their age. The thing is that lots of people most likely have already lied. A lot of LJ communities which have adult content already had a rule saying you had to be 18+ to read them. Therefore users who wanted to read them who were young were able to edit their d.o.b and be allowed to read those communities. So I'm sure there are a lot of teens who have incorrect d.o.b entered already. This fixes nothing. Plus kids who want to be older can just doctor an ID if it's one that just has to be scanned and sent in. Photoshop rocks. If I can get a student ID made for me I'm sure the kids can make a reasonable drivers license.

[carolinga.livejournal.com]

I just have no confidence in LJ after reading this, and hearing that LJ is one of the sites Facebook can track you on with their beacon feature. Oh, and there's the whole essentially banning interests by making them unsearchable thing.

I started an Insanejournal, and so far I love it over there (even though the site *is* a little ugly). It's not as active as LJ, obviously, but the community is building and so far I've met some cool people. And the admin over there is very upfront about everything that goes on, and he's also accessible. He's personally answered a number of my questions. Permanent accounts are on sale for 35 dollars right now, and I'm seriously considering buying one.

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

I started an InsaneJournal this morning actually. For now it mostly is just to hold my username there should I have to jump ship from LJ.

I read a bit about that making unsearchable interests and while yes, most of what is being banned are not really great things, there's no way one should get to choose what can and cannot be searched. Especially now if they're saying adult content can be flagged then why not allow all adult content and then let the adults decide what they want to search for. That would make much more sense.

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

I seriously think LJ is being run by the Indiana State Legislature. That's the only other place I can think of where everytime they correct a problem it's with the worst, most damaging "solution" possible.

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

Actually LJ just got bought by a Russian company. So a little far from Indiana, but perhaps they have the same model for solving problems ;)

But in any case I agree with you. The "solutions" which keep getting created just make more and more problems and they don't bother to fix anything.

LJ has promised to have guidelines for what is and is not appropriate content for their site since the strikethrough nonsense last SPRING. Still nothing on that and when asked their staff say it's coming soon... maybe.

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

I've been through regime changes. The staff is thinking about nothing but how to save their jobs, what the new bosses will be like, and -- like us -- how much the change might screw things up.