The autumn half-term is in full swing for schoolchildren, but very soon many children will be donning spooky costumes in preparation for All Hallows’ Eve. To make planning for the festivities easier, a trick-or-treating map has been created in Latvia, where you can mark which houses will be welcoming children with treats at the end of October, Latvian Radio reported on October 19.
On the online Halloween Treat Map, more than 1,000 people have marked their homes or businesses as places where children are welcome on 31 October. Some have also specified special passwords or the number of knocks required to receive sweets.
The website “saldumukarte.lv” was created by Krišjānis Dzalbe and Rihards Edels. It was originally intended for residents of Jelgava, but people from all over Latvia have now marked locations on it.
Dzalbe pointed out that it is not possible to view all the addresses entered on the site at the same time, but they can only be viewed within a radius of approximately 5 km from your current location.
Olga Graudiņa, acting director of the State Data Inspectorate, welcomed the fact that the map requires only an address to be entered, without any additional information. However, she highlighted other ways in which the information could be misused.
“Given that the website also allows users to specify a time slot – for example, when they expect their children to arrive – in a sense this could also indicate that people may not be at home at other times, and consequently this too could pose a risk. That is why each person must assess for themselves how safe this is,” explained Graudiņa.
Graudiņa mentioned the provision of a misleading address as another risk – marking a house on the map where children are not expected.
She recommends allowing registered users to add houses to the site, ideally using secure authentication methods such as an e-signature. To add a house to the map, you currently need to provide an email address. This is not stored, but a confirmation email and a link are sent to it, allowing you to verify your house. All houses will be removed from the map on 2 November.
Not only data security is important, but also children’s safety on Halloween evening. Before setting off on a trick-or-treating spree, Inspector Inese Novicka from the State Police’s Prevention Management Bureau urges parents to discuss safety and the planned route with their children.
“With younger children, we encourage you to perhaps go with them, and consider the option of accompanying them right up to the front door of the house or flat. If older children are going out on their own, it is preferable for them to go in a group of friends so they can stick together and have more fun. But in any case, parents should know where their children are planning to go and what time they will be back,” said Novicka.
The inspector advises children to choose a familiar, well-lit area and to visit neighbours they already know. She reminds them that sweets can be collected at the door, and that they must not go inside a stranger’s house or garden, even if the children are persistently invited in and told that the sweets are in the kitchen, another room or the car. If a child feels unsafe, it is not rude to refuse the sweets, walk away and contact their parents.
At the same time, Novicka urges children to respect those who do not celebrate Halloween: avoid making a lot of noise, playing pranks or ringing the doorbells of people who have not clearly indicated that they are celebrating the festival.
Seen a mistake?
Select text and press Ctrl+Enter to send a suggested correction to the editor
Select text and press Report a mistake to send a suggested correction to the editor