Who’s watching our kids on Zoom?

[Thinker]

Legally, for kids to have their picture in media, in case they are taken in a photo, schools have asked for written permission from parents. Zoom & the lds church have never asked for permission but have assumed it - even when images of children may be broadcast throughout the world (www).

Many of us are aware that:
1) Zoom is watched by people not involved in the online Zoom meetings.
Zoom suspended account of US activists, when they discovered by their monitoring of “private” Zoom meetings that they were speaking of atrocities in China - & China had Zoom suspend the individual accounts.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53003688... &

2) The lgbt-BS has evolved to include pedophilia. There are people who have openly admitted to wanting children - especially in “boy-Scouts, churches and youth groups.” FBI has discovered symbols pedophiles use, to solicit or communicate - & some of these symbols I have found aimed at my children & other youth. Some say it’s innocent, & it may be, though as a parent, I find this all concerning.

For these reasons, despite church leaders using Zoom a lot for church, I don’t trust world-wide Zoom with my kids.
Do you?
Thoughts?

[Luke]

I usually keep my camera off anyway... since my computer is broken. Lol

[Juliet]

OK but if you don't trust your kid on a camera why do you trust your kid to a public institution with copious amounts of expendable tax money... Federalized public school was always a dangerous way to hand off our children to complete strangers. You would think parental instinct would advise against it. People's goodness makes them trusting of others. Trust is a good thing but not in absense of critical thinking. If boy scouts found ways to abuse children why wouldn't public school officials and teachers?

[ParticleMan]

A more secure alternative to Zoom is jitsi (https://jitsi.org/).
There are also more secure platforms for calls and messaging.

[Thinker]

OK but if you don't trust your kid on a camera why do you trust your kid to a public institution with copious amounts of expendable tax money... Federalized public school was always a dangerous way to hand off our children to complete strangers. You would think parental instinct would advise against it. People's goodness makes them trusting of others. Trust is a good thing but not in absense of critical thinking. If boy scouts found ways to abuse children why wouldn't public school officials and teachers?

Fair points. We probably agree that parents are ideally the most influential teachers to their children. Some circumstances I’d homeschool my kids, but generally, at least for us, I see it as important to teach them how to deal with the world gradually, so they’re not shocked, (as some I know where were homeschooled). I want my kids to be able & prepared to handle the real world.

I try to teach my kids to think for themselves, to be respectful of others including teachers but to not believe all they hear or read.

Juliet, it’s fine that you take a different approach. But realize this thread is not about homeschooling v public school. Zoom is world wide internet with people who may have criminal records or worse who have access - public school includes teachers who must have background checks, supervision etc. They’re not really the same.

[NewEliza]

OK but if you don't trust your kid on a camera why do you trust your kid to a public institution with copious amounts of expendable tax money... Federalized public school was always a dangerous way to hand off our children to complete strangers. You would think parental instinct would advise against it. People's goodness makes them trusting of others. Trust is a good thing but not in absense of critical thinking. If boy scouts found ways to abuse children why wouldn't public school officials and teachers?

Trust, in and of itself, is NOT a virtue. It only becomes so when attached to a righteous source: for example, trust in god, trust in freedom, etc.

Same with obedience, respect, etc. you can certainly have obedience towards something wicked!

[Juliet]

OK but if you don't trust your kid on a camera why do you trust your kid to a public institution with copious amounts of expendable tax money... Federalized public school was always a dangerous way to hand off our children to complete strangers. You would think parental instinct would advise against it. People's goodness makes them trusting of others. Trust is a good thing but not in absense of critical thinking. If boy scouts found ways to abuse children why wouldn't public school officials and teachers?

Fair points. We probably agree that parents are ideally the most influential teachers to their children. Some circumstances I’d homeschool my kids, but generally, at least for us, I see it as important to teach them how to deal with the world gradually, so they’re not shocked, (as some I know where were homeschooled). I want my kids to be able & prepared to handle the real world.

I try to teach my kids to think for themselves, to be respectful of others including teachers but to not believe all they hear or read.

Juliet, it’s fine that you take a different approach. But realize this thread is not about homeschooling v public school. Zoom is world wide internet with people who may have criminal records or worse who have access - public school includes teachers who must have background checks, supervision etc. They’re not really the same.

I am not trying to change the subject. I am trying to broaden the point so we can get to the root of the issue. The principle is, we shouldn't make others responsible for raising our kids. Our children know us from the time they are in the womb. They are physically encoded to recognize us by scent, touch, sight, and sound. No one can teach them better than the parents. And I have 2nd party verification that there are pedophilies working in public schools as teachers. There is not always supervision in classrooms. And with a little coordination, the school place can become a trafficking center. The smartest kids can be sought out and groomed and even used by secret operations without the parents' knowledge. Afterall, the parents have already provided consent by handing them over.

Yes, there is danger of being spied on and having your children checked out by third parties via zoom. And schools seem to be ok with that. For some reason; I just am not surprised. Look at the books your children are requested to read. They most all contain witchcraft and fantasy. This is the religion of public education. They show us subtly who their lord is, and it isn't Jesus Christ. If it isn't Jesus, then it is some other way.

The point is, let's not give permission to other adults to be in charge of our kids, at least until they are old enough to defend themselves physically and be able to use their vocabulary if something bad is going on with the other adults in their lives. It bothers me how some parents watch their kids start develop eating disorders, learning disorders, social anxieties, and mental illness; and they never do think that anything bad could have happened. It is a little naive. I had a friend in junior high who was raped and could not bring herself to tell anyone, let alone her parents. She finally opened up to me as I was a close friend and that helped her finally be able to tell her parents. But she ended up turning away from Jesus and turned to alcohol and what else I wouldn't know to cope. Zoom is so far removed to the dangers we already accept every single day.

I think about how Bill Cosby got away with raping grown women. With access to their food and a pill, he was able to gain control over them. And yet we think our kids are safe as we hand them over to be watched over by adult strangers at all hours of the day and think surely we would know if something nefarious is happening.

How can we teach our children to not give into peer pressure as children, when we give into it as adults? The smallest opposition, that maybe as parents we are not good enough, or maybe our kids need to be handed over or they can't learn social skills (which my studies have shown to be proven false), they just are not good enough reasons to trust strangers with your kids, either in zoom or public school.

I realize public education is a very large part of our culture, and I am not trying to destroy or put it down. I am just saying, from my view, we have more to be warned about then what we are currently willing to discuss.

This is from Zachary King, whose journey to Satanism began when he was assaulted by a teacher at school:

"At 11 years of age he was sexually assaulted by a female teacher. 'The woman told me I wanted it and that I enjoyed it. I was confused and conflicted. I was depressed, and the only thing that made me feel I was on top of the world was magic,' he said."

https://nzcatholic.org.nz/2016/03/24/mi ... ry-to-god/

Here him talk about it himself at 17.45 minutes in this interview:
https://youtu.be/MW-2ti4DOD8

[Thinker]

...The point is, let's not give permission to other adults to be in charge of our kids, at least until they are old enough to defend themselves physically and be able to use their vocabulary if something bad is going on with the other adults in their lives. It bothers me how some parents watch their kids start develop eating disorders, learning disorders, social anxieties, and mental illness; and they never do think that anything bad could have happened. It is a little naive. I had a friend in junior high who was raped and could not bring herself to tell anyone, let alone her parents...

Similar happened to me as a teen when I ran away, & a significant part of why I found myself around such dangerous environments, was probably because I didn’t feel loved, safe or understood at home. This is why I think, study & try to implement parenting behavior that creates good relationships with my kids so they feel loved, safe & like they can talk to me. Maybe we agree that often parents ignore signs for so long that when they finally realize something’s wrong with their child, it’s way worse than if they recognized & helped earlier. Also, my kids could defend themselves pretty well, but I think self defense techniques are good to practice. I try to teach my kids good thinking skills & understanding that most people are mostly good but there are some adults who have bad intentions & require boundaries.

It’s important to talk about this, even though it’s not a really comfortable topic. Part of the problem, as you mentioned, is fear of even talking about it. And most people think of girls being sexually abused - but boys are too - & women abuse as well as men. I was surprised to hear about cases of women abusing boys. And trust ought to be given carefully - that’s something I need to work on.

Have you ever let your kids go to Primary, and other church classes or activities with adult teachers & other kids? I imagine because you’re lds, you have, as I have in the past. Those adults have not had background checks, unlike public school teachers & workers who are required to be checked. Also, as you probably know more than me, it seems children have a higher chance of being sexually abused by lds than others - AND having it covered up by church leaders.

LDS Leaders Sex Abuse Cover-ups
“The Mormon church has a “culture” that protects sexual predators, Johnson said during the press conference.
“There is a very real, horrendous problem in the church right now,” she said. “That problem is that sexual predators are more protected in the Mormon church than innocent children and vulnerable adults.”
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5b36 ... 3a8f69aff1

Participants (Native Americans) in the Church-sponsored Indian Student Placement Program have filed at least three sexual-abuse lawsuits.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/ar ... ch/504944/

"An Arizona prosecutor, who says a lawyer for the LDS Church told a bishop he didn’t need to inform police that a child was being sexually abused, has filed a bar complaint against that attorney and his law firm.
An indictment against the child’s parents suggests the abuse went on for a decade...”
https://www.sltrib.com/religion/local/2 ... s-lawyers/

President Nelson was involved in a case that was dismissed. It’s possible that Nelson & his daughter are innocent, but then why were Mile’s charges mysteriously dismissed despite Bill Cartensen admitting to being one of the perpetrator along with Brenda Miles (Nelson’s daughter), who was “mostly the cheerleeder and took the videos” during the sexual abuse “parties” (p. 15 & 20)?? If they were innocent why admit to something so disgustingly shameful?
https://www.restoreourhumanity.org/files/ABlipHere.pdf

Utah Highest in Sex Abuse Rates of Children
https://kutv.com/news/local/utah-has-hi ... f-children


I don’t want to get all paranoid, but rather just be “watchful” for our children.

[Thinker]

Does anyone know how long church intends to continue broadcasting sacrament services on Zoom? Is it worldwide? Other meetings (like RS/SS) too?

[EmmaLee]

Does anyone know how long church intends to continue broadcasting sacrament services on Zoom? Is it worldwide? Other meetings (like RS/SS) too?

No idea how long the Church plans on doing this, but in our ward, sacrament meeting is broadcast via YouTube, and RS/PH/SS are broadcast via Zoom. There has not been any word of stopping in our ward/stake.

[Thinker]

Does anyone know how long church intends to continue broadcasting sacrament services on Zoom? Is it worldwide? Other meetings (like RS/SS) too?

No idea how long the Church plans on doing this, but in our ward, sacrament meeting is broadcast via YouTube, and RS/PH/SS are broadcast via Zoom. There has not been any word of stopping in our ward/stake.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.


Another little detail:

LDS Church stock riches drop by $8 billion as it sells Exxon shares, buys Zoom.May 2020
https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2020/05 ... lls-exxon/

[Thinker]

Waco fellowship 'Zoom bombed' with child pornography during Sunday service
https://wacotrib.com/news/local/waco-fe ... 6dfa4.html

Other similar cases, like a church service in Louisiana. There are likely more cases than apparent - when I looked up articles of such cases I had read, they were scrubbed from the internet.

[Niemand]

How does Zoom monetise its "free" calls?