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Online Safety
Dangers on the Internet

Cyber thieves: Is your teen enabling them?

March 4, 2009

The Today Show recently reported the newest warnings on cyber thieves. Find out how your teenager might be "sharing" personal information without even knowing it. Link to the Today Show Web site.

Safeguarding your computer

On Guard Online provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.

Internet safety
Parents: Tips to keep your kids safe

Talk to your kids about online safety, just as you would about smoking, alcohol, drugs and strangers. People are always who they say they are. An adult sexual predator may say they are a 15 year old high school student. Do not go and meet ANYONE.

  • Talk about blogs and social networking sites. Your children can teach you about computers and technology. You can teach them about the real world and how to be "street smart", be suspicious and ask questions or verify information they receive.

  • Set up your own account with MySpace.com and monitor what goes on. You can check on your kids and explore the site to see what information is on the internet.

  • Urge them to tell you if they are approached online or even in person by someone they do not know.

  • Go to Web sites that can help you keep you kids safe. Click on a link below:
    www.getnetwise.org/
    www.safekids.com
    www.blogsafety.com
    www.filterreview.com
    www.projectsafekids.org
    www.wiredwithwisdom.org

Statistics

  • 1 in 5 (19%) of young internet users surveyed, received unwanted sexual solicitations.

  • 3% received aggressive solicitation involving offline contact or attempts at such.

  • 25% received unwanted exposure to sexual material.

  • 6% reported harassment (threats, rumors, intimidation)

  • Many instances of harassment and threats begin with Instant Messages and E-mail messages

Problem Areas

Safety Rules

Remember, when you are in any kind of public forum (chat room), anyone can read what you post or say.

You never know for certain if the people you meet online are who they say they are. Never get together with or meet anyone you meet online without talking to your parents. keep your identity private. Avoid giving out any information that:

  • Could help someone determine your actual identity or the identity of family members or friends. Do not give out your address or phone number.
    Never respond to e-mail, chat or Instant Messages that make you feel uncomfortable.

  • "Stealing isn't learning" ... The pitfalls of plagiarism are very serious.

  • Talk with your parents about expectations and rules for going online. Communicating with parents does not mean that you have to give up your privacy.

  • Do not interfere with another person's screen name or profile. This is a crime.
    (For more information: NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services, Missing & Exploited Children Clearinghouse)

BLOGS

  • An online journal that is free and available to anyone

  • Predators look for personal information, i.e. address, school, schedules, employment…

  • What you read is not necessarily true

  • People are not always who they say they are

  • MySpace.com is the most popular

  • Monitor and read what your child puts on the internet—talk with them about the dangers

MySpace.com

www.MySpace.com is a blog site (short for Web-log), an Internet site where people can post information and others may have an opportunity to respond.

www.MySpace.com is a password-protected site where visitors may add comments to individual Web pages only if they are "invited" by the page author. Unfortunately, this security feature creates a false sense of safety. While it is true that "strangers" cannot access the complete blog, they can access an author's profile—the mini biography that may include their screen name, real name, school affiliation, hometown, or even a photograph. Sometimes even the most innocent information can be used by predators to find or figure out who a young person is. Teams, clubs, employment, schedules and other personal information can be used to narrow down who and where a student is. This along with a photo make students easy targets for illegal or unsafe activity.

Recent concerns over www.MySpace.com focus on the ability to access those profiles. Just a click of a mouse on the "search" link at Myspace.com enables the user to search the profiles listing by school or by name. In cases across the nation, naive bloggers have unknowingly provided Internet predators with addresses and photos via the profiles.

The Mohonasen School District has blocked access to the website on school computers. At home, parents must determine for themselves what may or may not be appropriate for their children.

To learn more about www.MySpace.com, simply search the Internet for www.MySpace.com. New articles appear daily.

Myspace.com on their Web site safety - a January 2006 email response by Myspace.com to NBC television's Dateline.

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This page is maintained by Erin McNulty, Webmaster, according to Mohonasen Central School District Web publishing regulations. This Web site was produced by the Capital Region BOCES Communications Service, Albany, NY. The district is not responsible for facts or opinions contained on any linked site. Copyright © 2008. All rights reserved.