The Boy Scouts of America’s homepage prompted an advertisement for a summer photo contest. The idea was simple: Submit summer photos. They could be of anything, not just Boy Scouts related. Upon entering a photo into the contest, users were asked to provide their age by clicking either “6-11” or “12-17”. However, when a boy clicked on “6-11,” the website allowed him to submit his photo, as well as a photo of himself and his contact information. Nowhere on the page did the site advise the kid to seek parental permission before continuing.
The Children’s Advertising Review Unit asked BSA to review its online procedures to make sure they were in agreement with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. CARU was worried that the website would collect personally identifiable information about a kid without parental consent. The BSA thought it was allowable as this personally identifiable information was collected for one-time purpose, but it worked with the CARU and appreciated the guidance.
The textbook mentions that professionalism can be boiled down to four elements: what an organization values, how an organization goes about its work, how an organization thinks about itself and how others think about an organization. The CARU in this case wasn’t insisting or reporting or demanding, it was asking and guiding the BSA to do something about it. This shows the CARU is dedicated to instilling good values but maintaining a respectful image among the advertising world. The BSA also handled the situation quite well. It showed that the BSA valued what the CARU had suggested and worked to make sure the entire contest was in compliance with COPPA.
References
CARU Recommends BSA Modify Website to Better Protect Children’s Privacy; BSA Agrees to Do So. (2014, November 20). Retrieved March 6, 2015, from http://www.asrcreviews.org/2014/11/caru-recommends-bsa-modify-website-to-better-protect-childrens-privacy-bsa-agrees-to-do-so/
Christians, C., Fackler, M., Richardson, K., Kreshel, P., & Woods, R. (2012). Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning (9th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
MATTHEW E. COHLMIA II 