NEW YORK

Facebook tests having kids on site with no need to lie

Although Facebook bans children under 13, millions of them have profiles on the site by lying about their age.

The company is now testing ways to allow those kids to participate without needing to lie. This would likely be under parental supervision, such as by connecting children’s accounts to their parents’ accounts.

Like many other online services, Facebook prohibits kids under 13 because federal law requires companies to obtain parental consent if they want to collect information about those children.

Such information collection is central to Facebook. Every photo or status update a kid posts on Facebook could count as information collection.

Many parents help kids skirt the law by setting up profiles for them and lying about their ages. There are an estimated 7.5 million kids under 13 on Facebook, out of more than 900 million users worldwide.

Few details are available on the nature of Facebook’s tests, The Wall Street Journal reported in Monday’s editions. Relaxing the ban on younger children could be a long way off, or never get implemented, as happens with many features that Facebook tests.

Shareholders voice dissent in vote on Walmart board

Walmart’s final shareholder vote for its board of directors showed unprecedented dissent against key executives and board members, including CEO Mike Duke, in the wake of allegations of bribery in Mexico.

All of the company’s nominees were re-elected. But the rise in votes against key leaders underscores how the bribery case could distract the world’s largest retailer as it tries to continue its sales momentum in the United States and overseas.

According to results released Monday by Walmart, 13 percent of the 3.4 billion shares were voted against the re-election of Duke to the company’s board. Nearly 13 percent went against Chairman Robson Walton, the son of founder Sam Walton, and 15.6 percent went against former CEO Lee Scott. A little over 13 percent of the shares were cast against Christopher Williams, chairman and CEO of The Williams Capital Group, who serves as chairman of Walmart’s audit committee.

The numbers show a loss of confidence, particularly when Walton family members and other insiders are excluded.

 

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