I remember when my family got the internet in our home, and I entered a chat room for the first time in my life. Before I was allowed to get on the computer, my Dad sat down with me and told me I needed to be careful, because we didn't know the people I would be talking with. I couldn't use my last name, tell them where I lived, or anything personal about me. When I agreed to his rules, I was permitted to enter into the cyberworld of communication. The internet has evolved a lot since my childhood--becoming more functional and more universally used. Unfortunately, there are those who abuse the internet. Hackers find ways into our information and use it to steal our identities, or sexual abusers seek to exploit victims in various ways. There are SO many dangers in using the internet, but at the same time, it is such an important tool, that we don't want to avoid it completely. Luckily, there are a lot more people on the light side than on the dark side of internet usage. Many protections have been developed to help us stay safe on the internet, and it is our job to be informed of the dangers and how to avoid them. Here are a few simple and important rules to get you started:
1. Restrict personal information on social networking sites. Most social networking sites have restriction options, and you can choose which groups of people can see your personal information. Predators roam these sites, anxious to find foolish victims who've left their information up. Be wise and don't let anyone but your friends see the personal stuff!
2. If you are asked to give personal information, make sure it is a trustworthy source that is doing the asking. We are asked for credit card numbers when we are purchasing online, telephone numbers, email addresses, even our social security numbers. Whenever any information like this is being asked for, we need to make sure that we are on a credible website that has proven to be trustworthy. We can look online to see if there are any warnings about the site, we can see if businesses have a regular address and telephone number where they may be contacted, and read agreement contracts carefully (yes, the ones we are all tempted to skip because they are so long and don't matter anyway).
3. Beware of tricks. Some hackers are tricky and try to send viruses to your computer or steal your personal information by imitating trustworthy websites. They will send emails or pop-ups to your computer pretending to be a friend, your internet server, your bank, etc. If you're not sure, don't open it until you are. You can call your friend, your bank, or whomever asking them if they've sent something to you if you can't find out any other way.
4. Remember, just because it has never happened to you doesn't mean it can't! Identity theft and other forms of internet abuse are very real, and it only has to happen once to be a big, and possibly life-threatening pain. Don't ignore safety advice just because you assume no one will ever do it to you. Lot's of people have thought that and then had to pay the price.
If we are careful internet users, we can enjoy all of the awesome things it has to provide us without suffering any of the pain! Remember to be wise!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
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