Staying Safe Online
Original Air Date: 4/15/2010
Guests
We read and hear about individuals who lives are turned upside down by Identity theft. We cringe when a child is abused by an on-line stalker. These stories represent the very public tip of the on-line iceberg. This great tool, the computer, can also dispense misery through cyber bullying, pornography, and a host of life-altering intrusions.
Jack Leiman, Tacoma Public Schools
Lizann Coker, Look Both Ways
Making your family safer online
Remember, Internet safety is not something you can effectively impose on anyone over the age of ten. If teens don't buy into your safety goals they'll quickly find ways around them. Effective safety is something families must do together because everyone has a vested interest in staying safe. Fortunately, kids have a basic sense of self-preservation most of the time. They do not want to be ripped off or abused by a scammer, thief, or predator. When they realize their actions may place not only themselves, but their family members or friends, at risk, they stop being resistant to using basic safety measures.
Checklist for family Internet safety
Buy all the safety software you need and use good filtering tools. Keep them current and use them unfailingly, as automatically as locking your door when you leave the house. Remember that antivirus and anti-spyware software must be updated regularly to deal with new threats and set up to run regular scans.
Discuss online safety with your family and friends. Decide together how you will help protect each other online and set rules that reflect your personal and family values. Decide what activities are okay, and what information it's okay to give out and to whom. Consider using an Internet Safety Contract for Families.
Be selective about who you interact with online and what information you make public.
The risks are relatively low when you deal with people you know—your family, and friends. Going into public chat rooms or making your blog available to the general public, for example, significantly increases your risk.
Think before you post online in a public place (a place anyone on the Internet can see). Don’t post any information that can personally identify you, a family member, or friend. Sensitive information includes birth date, gender, town, e-mail address, school name, and photos. This information can be used to help someone find you or steal your identity.
Pay attention to the risks of e-mail.
Think twice before you open attachments or click links in e-mail - even if you know the sender, as these can be used to transmit spam and viruses to your computer.
Never respond to phishing e-mail asking you to provide personal information, especially your account number or password, even if the message seems to be from a business you trust. Reputable businesses will not ask you for this information.
If you have younger children, put your family computer and Internet-connected game consoles in a central location rather than a private area.
Be cautious about meeting someone you've met online in person. Have a friend come with you and meet in a busy public place. Remember, people online are not always who they say they are.
Review the features on your children's mobile phones. Can they download images from the Internet, use instant messaging, or access services that allow others to pinpoint their location? All of these features could be a cause for concern, depending on your child’s maturity and the situation.
Find out how and where to report abuse. Create an environment that encourages your kids to report abuse to you. Acting as a responsible Internet citizen can help stop the illegal activity, harassment, and predatory behavior of online criminals.
Don’t trade personal information for “freebies.” Just as in the physical world, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Unwanted software, such as spyware and viruses, often piggybacks on software that’s “free.”
Check out the safeguards on computers you or your child uses outside the home—at school, the public library, and the homes of friends.
Choose a safe online name. Use e-mail addresses, IM names, chat nicknames, and other such identifiers that don't give away too much personal information. Pick a name that doesn't help identify you (your age, for example) or locate you. Avoid flirtatious or provocative names that may cause unwanted attention.
Sit down with your family regularly to review Internet contacts and activity. Check settings including buddies, blogs, browser history, image files, music downloads, and so on. Let kids know you'll do this periodically. Explain that this is not to violate their privacy, but to protect them and the family from risks.
Spend time online with your children. Learn how to use the tools your kids are using: blogs, e-mail, instant messaging, and so on. This is a great opportunity to ask your kids to help you set up your own blog, get started with instant messaging, play with searches, or teach you whatever it is you don't yet know how to do.
Once you've got a sense of how the tools and services work, evaluate them for safety. For example, consider these questions:
Does the service allow you to easily report abuse?
Does the service provide clear instructions for how to be safe?
Is there a range of options that let you make your information as private as you like?
Bullying Online
Bullying has been around forever, but when you add e-mail, blogs, instant messaging, mobile phones and other electronic methods, bullying takes on an entirely new dimension. Cyberbullying, online harassment, and cyber stalking are all terms for ways in which those who wish to hurt others, for whatever reason, use online tools to do so.
Cyberbullies can deliver an onslaught of accusations and threats through instant and text messages, e-mail, or cell phones at any time of the day or night. Bullies can steal and alter photos in damaging ways or add derogatory comments; they can then post them on social networking sites (such as MySpace) or send them to the victim's friends and family. Sometimes, pretending to be the victim, they create fake blogs to create trouble with the victim's friends or post embarrassing videos. Because cyberbullies can remain anonymous, they don't have to be bigger or stronger to harass others.
Though the focus in the press is on cyberbullying among children and teens, cyberbullying affects people of all ages. Cyberbullying of co-workers, managers, seniors, and exes are unfortunately common problems.
The full scope of cyberbullying is difficult to measure because of under-reporting. However, we do know that nearly one in six U.S. children grades six to ten (that’s 3.2 million students) are victims of online bullying every year.
What to do if you or your child are cyberbullied
Often young victims of bullying are told they should "just ignore it" or "toughen up." Instead of dismissing them, they need your support when they speak up about online abuse.
Make sure your child understands that it is a myth that "weaklings tattle." In reality, those who tell are the ones who are not willing to be bullied. Speaking out and getting help are positive declarations that they deserve to be treated better.
Cyberbullying directly affects the emotional well-being of both victims and bullies. Every effort should be made to find the bully to hold them accountable for their actions and to help them change their behavior.
To help someone who is being cyberbullied:
If you feel that you or your child is in any way unsafe, call the police. Do not hesitate or wait to see if the abuse will stop.
If you or your children feel any personal threat, or someone stalks or continually harasses you, report them to the Web site where you are experiencing abuse. If the online service does not provide the support you need, change services and let them know why you changed.
Reputable companies should have an easily discoverable report abuse function.
Report abuse to your Internet service provider (ISP) or cell phone company, and follow any instructions for documenting the problem and taking action against the abuser.
Many services--blog sites, chat rooms, instant messaging services--have moderators and methods to report abuse or ways to help you block undesirable people from contacting you.
If the cyberbullying is related to a school or work environment, report it to the school or employer. They should have strict policies and act on them quickly.
Six safety tips to avoid or deal with online bullying
Follow these steps to avoid or cope with cyberbullying:
Keep personal information (address, phone number, etc.), feelings, or personal photos private so a bully can’t abuse them.
Use technology tools to block anyone whose behavior is inappropriate or threatening in any way.
Do not answer phone calls or read messages, e-mail, or comments from cyberbullies, but do set them aside in case they are needed by authorities as evidence or to take action. Instruct your kids to do the same.
Check in with your children periodically to ask whether they are being bullied on the computer, their cell phones or through online games. Encourage your children to report bullying to you and take action on their behalf. Don’t dismiss their problems or blame them for not being tough enough.
Make sure your children know why they should never bully others, and make it clear what the consequences will be if they do. Some parents of bullies tend to minimize or dismiss the behavior of their child. They consider such behavior as being "just a phase," or say "kids will be kids." Not only does this point of view utterly disregard the tremendous damage done to victims, it also fails to recognize the very dangerous path bullies themselves walk. Those who bully in school face higher rates of issues with alcoholism, imprisonment, failed relationships, and failure at work.
For more information visit these websites:
http://www.atg.wa.gov/YISTF.aspx
http://www.atg.wa.gov/InternetSafety/Teens.aspx
http://www.atg.wa.gov/InternetSafety/FamiliesAndEducators.aspx
http://www.atg.wa.gov/InternetSafety/Seniors.aspx
