Andrew Whitworth wrote:
On Feb 11, 2008 9:16 AM, Thomas Dalton thomas.dalton@gmail.com wrote:
From a practical standpoint, we can't be certain that anybody is or is not 13. Even though we could state that you must be over 13 to participate, we can't possibly validate users who claim to be. While it doesnt work in all circumstances, a policy of "don't ask, don't tell" might be in order here. At least then, if there was a COPPA-related problem, we could plead ignorance.
Not asking for ages leaves a major hole in the survey - age is one of the key discriminators between different demographics.
True, but telling people that you are going to discriminate against them (by collecting less information from them) if they fall into certain age ranges is just going to motivate people to lie. Some people might reason "I can help more on the census if I lie about my age and therefore get asked more questions".
A sinister plan: as everybody the same questions, but don't actually collect responses from people younger than 14.