981743 - Question raised about Webmaker Terms of Use for teachers

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 981736

(Webmaker Graveyard :: General, defect)

Description

[lainie]

This was raised by a teacher/community member on the Webmaker Google + group:

Hello all, I am trying to determine what I need to do in order to use Webmaker tools and materials in the classroom.  Per the Webmaker legal terms you must be 18 years old OR have parental permission.

I have yet to find any reason for this, but intend to comply with the legal requirements.  I am wondering if any of you have examples of permission slips you have used to obtain parent permission for students to use Webmaker?  In my case all of the students are 13 or older and thus not subject to the COPPA requirements in the US.

What specifically is there within Webmaker that requires parental permission?  I am a proponent of informed consent and want to provide parents with the information required to make a decision, not just say "some attorney at Mozilla says we have to do this just because."

I hate that I have to go through the hassle and friction of permission slips, but if I do it I am going to do it right.

I think the terms are worded in an overly-restrictive fashion, especially when you compare them to the terms of Scratch or the Khan Academy, both of which not only have put in place the necessary measures to comply with COPPA for children under 13, but also allow anyone age 13 or older to use their tools and services without any expectation of formal parental permission.  What is so different about Webmaker?  I'm not sure what real requirement there is for permission for those under 18, and it has the effect of putting up a barrier to entry, especially for use in the classroom.