A Guide to Internet Safety High School U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service SafeKids@ncis.navy.mil

Internet safety This is a program that teaches students how to be safe when using the Internet

Personal Information Personal Information is any information that can identify you Full name Age/Date of Birth Home Address Telephone Number Social Security Number Name of your sport/club team This information should ALWAYS be kept private, especially online Name of School Address of School Where you hang out Parents/siblings names and ages Pictures of yourself Internet password

Personal Online Profile MySpace, Facebook, Xanga, Secondlife, etc. Talk to friends, maintain relationships, listen to music, meet new people, post pictures, keep a diary

In the News In 2006, a man from New York found the work address on an online profile of a 16-year-old girl, lured her to a parking lot, and sexually assaulted her. In July 2007, a 23-year-old man from Connecticut was sentenced to 20 years for sexually assaulting several females, ranging from 12 to 15 years old, all of whom he met on MySpace. In July 2007, MySpace.com identified over 29,000 registered sex offenders with profiles on their website.

Personal Online Profile Sexual predators use social networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook to find potential victims. You may not know it, but sometimes people you just answer, whether it is by IM, Email, or a popular web log, can trace you and find out your information. Predators will create a false profile and lie about themselves. A 17-year-old boy/girl may actually be a 48-year-old man/woman.

Personal Online Profile DO NOT post your personal information online, especially your name, school, address, or telephone number. Watch what information you share indirectly – school mascot, friends’ information, etc. Plenty of people on the Internet want to steal your personal information, either to harm your computer or you. Posting your personal information online can make you a target and potential victim. This information should be kept private at all times.

What do I do? The truth is you will never really know who you're conversing with online. Always be careful! If anyone asks you for your personal information, do not respond and block them or erase them off of your list(s). If you continue to get asked and/or are being harassed, report them to the service you're using. Most people don't think it will help, but it really does. If things continue to get out of hand, then go straight to the police.

Photographs Be cautious about posting photos of yourself and others online. Anyone can use your photo in bad ways or change the image without your permission. Once an image is placed on the Internet, even if you delete it, the picture will remain on the web forever. Choose your photos thoughtfully. Create an online reputation that represents who you are but doesn't embarrass you when your teacher, parents, or future employer finds you on the Web.

Photographs Although it may seem fun right now to post pictures of yourself and friends, these pictures can cause you trouble in the future when you apply to college or for a job. Avoid posting photos that can easily allow people to identify you, especially photos that are sexually suggestive or show underage drinking.

Online Safety Tip Don’t post photos of yourself and others that allow people to easily identify you Before you upload, think about how you would feel if your parents, team coach, a college admissions counselor, or a future employer saw the images

Online Safety Tip If you create an online profile or keep an online diary/blog, consider the following… Do not post any personal identifying information about yourself Be careful about which photos you decide to post online Use your privacy settings to control who can view your profile Remember, by posting your personal information online, you make yourself a potential victim.

Online Safety Tip Only add someone as your “friend” if you know and trust them in real life Don’t just accept anyone as a friend for fun- by doing so, you are allowing a stranger access to personal information in your profile Do regular searches on your name and e-mail address to see what people find when they search for you.

Screen name Choose a screen name that does NOT give away your name, age, gender, and hometown a) John14NY c) Main123 b) Gymnstgrl17 d) TerraVdn Just by looking at screen names A and B, a stranger can tell whether you are a boy or girl, how old you are, and where you live. However, screen names C and D don’t reveal any personal information about the user.

Chatroom/IM LOL TTYL A/S/L BRB G2G If someone online asks you for your personal information, do not give it to them. Ignore them and block them. Even if they say they won’t tell anyone or you can trust them, keep your information private. Don’t say anything in a chatroom/IM that you wouldn’t say in public. Be honest. Don’t lie about yourself, especially your age.

NEVER agree to meet someone from online in person Meetings NEVER agree to meet someone from online in person The person you are talking to may not be who they say they are. It is very easy to lie about yourself when talking to someone over the Internet. Sexual predators pretend to be someone else and will say and do anything to make someone believe them.

Meetings If you do decide to meet someone online in person, you MUST first get permission from your parents. If your parents say yes, only agree to meet in a public place and bring an adult or a group of friends with you. NEVER agree to meet someone alone. For your safety, tell someone who you are meeting, where you are going, and provide a contact number before you leave. Remember, the best choice is to NOT meet anyone you talk to online!

If someone online asks you to email them a photo of Pictures If someone online asks you to email them a photo of yourself, say NO. The person online may have bad intentions and can change your picture or give it to other people without your permission.

If someone online wants to send you pictures of themselves, say NO. The person can send you viruses or inappropriate pictures. If you refuse and the person still sends you pictures, immediately tell your parents or a responsible adult. Do NOT delete anything the person sent you.

Warning Signs If someone online… Offers you gifts, toys, money Wants to meet you in person Wants to talk to you on the phone Wants you to send them a picture of yourself Wants to send you a picture of themselves Wants you to tell them personal information Asks you for your password Makes you feel uncomfortable Say NO… and immediately notify an adult

Rules for Online Safety Do not give out personal identifying information Choose a screen name that does not give away your name, age, gender, and hometown Don’t say anything in a chatroom/IM that you wouldn’t say in public Never agree to get together with someone you meet online Don’t accept photos from others or send photos of yourself

Rules for Online Safety 6) Think before you post pictures on the Internet 7) Use your privacy settings for your online profile 8) Don’t give out your password, even to friends 9) Don’t respond to any messages that are inappropriate, threatening, or make you feel uncomfortable 10) Immediately inform your parents, teacher, or a responsible adult if you think something is wrong or you receive inappropriate messages/pictures

If you have any questions or concerns SafeKids at NCIS If you have any questions or concerns or If someone online does something inappropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable Send us an email! safekids@ncis.navy.mil