Important Facts you should know about the Net Online Safety Important Facts you should know about the Net

The Cyber Community Cyberspace, the Internet, can be thought of as a community called the cyber community. It is comprised of places (websites) in which real people interact.

Since the Internet community is made up of real people and real places, it’s important to think about the safety issues it presents. Both communities contain inappropriate, as well as appropriate places to visit. Just like in the real community, inappropriate places in the cyber community are unsafe, and should be avoided.

Websites that are inappropriate for kids and teens include: Sites that ask for money for any reason Sites that ask for your personal information such as name and e-mail address, Gambling sites Sites which contain adult content Sites which tell about violence or hate towards people.

Harmful Internet Material While your using your E-mail account you are exposed to: Spam Scam Flaming Virus such as: Trojan, Worms

Harmful Internet Material While your opening a website you are exposed to: Identity theft Pop-ups Hackers Spyware Phishing Virus such as: Trojan, Worms

Remember that people online may not be who they say they are.

The Internet presents a special problem - You can get to inappropriate places just by clicking on links from searches, advertisements, or e-mail that seem perfectly appropriate. OOPS!

Think About It - Websites like this are taking away YOUR FREEDOM to travel where you want to go on the Internet! The important thing to remember is that it’s not your fault if you get to an inappropriate website by mistake.

The best way to handle inappropriate websites is to immediately exit.

Online Predators Some people lie about who they are and what they want on the Internet for various reasons. Sometimes it is to steal an identity or to bully. Other times it is to meet children and teens to form an inappropriate relationship. These people are known as online predators.

Minimize Dangers Choose screen name carefully Don’t reveal information online Never tell anyone: Your name or family names Address,  Age, Phone number         Never give a stranger your picture School Choose people to communicate with online carefully No matter what – Tell an adult if you are made to feel uncomfortable online. Tell an adult if you are approached by someone who discusses inappropriate things or wants to meet you offline.

A Little Prevention… Prepare yourself - Many online problems can be avoided or dealt with safely. Keep in mind the 4 R’s RECOGNIZE REFUSE RESPOND REPORT It is best to act smartly when online. These 4 R’s can apply to many online safety hazards. For example – being aware of how a predator finds the victim and understanding that people online are strangers, allows one to act appropriately when faced with those situations: RECOGNIZE techniques used by online predators to deceive or intimidate their victims. REFUSE requests for personal information or a face-to-face meeting. RESPOND assertively by exiting the program, logging off, or turning off the computer. REPORT any suspicious or dangerous contact that makes you or your child feel uncomfortable. The 4 R’s also hold true for cyber bullying: RECOGNIZE ‘flaming’ and cyber bullying techniques and the bully’s screen name or address. REFUSE to open or read any message from a cyber bully. RESPOND assertively by leaving the chat room without responding or the letter unopened. REPORT cyber bullying to the ISP, the school, or law enforcement as needed to stop it immediately. And it is also true for identity theft scams. By being aware of the latest ploys such as phishing emails (sending what looks like a reputable email asking for personal information) one is better equipped to deal appropriately with them. RECOGNIZE techniques used by identity thieves to obtain people’s personal information. REFUSE to provide personal information by phone or email if you didn’t initiate the communication. RESPOND assertively by contacting the three U.S. credit bureaus and put a fraud alert on your credit. REPORT any unusual, suspicious, or fraudulent activities to law enforcement authorities.

RECOGNIZE RECOGNIZE techniques used by online predators to deceive or intimidate their victims. RECOGNIZE ‘flaming’ and cyber bullying techniques and the bully’s screen name or address. RECOGNIZE techniques used by identity thieves to obtain people’s personal information.

REFUSE REFUSE requests for personal information or a face-to-face meeting. REFUSE to open or read any message from a cyber bully. REFUSE to provide personal information by phone or email if you didn’t initiate the communication.

RESPOND RESPOND assertively by exiting the program, logging off, or turning off the computer. RESPOND assertively by leaving the chat room without responding or leaving the letter unopened.

REPORT REPORT any suspicious or dangerous contact that makes you feel uncomfortable. REPORT cyber bullying to your parents and the school as needed to stop it immediately. REPORT to your parents all the phishing emails (sending what looks like a reputable email asking for personal information). .

It is in your hands! Pledge of Safe Surfing Reglas Familiares Promesa de Navegar Seguro

Internet Security Software These programs help you to stay protected and includes: Firewalls can limit or stop access to a computer by unauthorized people or systems. Filters can restrict what is viewed and downloaded from the Internet. Anti Spam pop-up blocker

Safe Engines and Searchers NetTrekker OneKey.Com Ask for Kids Activity Search Yahooligans Web Guide KidsClick Web Search

http://www.kidshield.com/safetytest/

Spam Spam is the e-mail equivalent of junk mail or annoying phone calls. Electronic mail that is not requested by the recipient, usually of an advertising or promotional nature.

Scam Scammers use the Internet in a number of ways to promote fraud through email or the World Wide Web. Scams are often set up for a financial benefit.

Flaming Flaming is the sending of messages that include bad language or repeat messaging especially of undesirable or obscene text.

Virus A virus is a software program designed to infect, destroy, modify or cause other undesirable effects on computer systems

Trojan A program that pretends to be useful (e.g. screen saver) but once installed performs malicious functions, such as allowing others access.

Worm A worm is a malicious self-replicating software program able to gain access to computers or networks and cause harm by erasing, changing, distributing or manipulating information.

Anti-Spam Software installed on a home computer or ISP e-mail server to block or filter unsolicited junk e-mail (spam).

pop-up blocker A pop-up blocker is a program designed to prevent a pop-up ad from opening in a browser. E.g. Internet Explorer

Identity theft Identity theft occurs when somebody steals personal information for fraudulent or criminal purposes.

Pop-ups Pop-ups are small windows that appear in the foreground (Pop-up) or background (Pop-under) of a browser window. It may contain unwanted content.

Hacker/Hacking In computer circles a 'hack' is defined as a clever solution to a computer programming problem, so a 'hacker' is a clever programmer. The term 'hacker' has come to be generally applied to anyone who breaks into web sites or computer systems, although 'cracker' is more appropriate.

Spyware Spyware is a program intentionally installed on a computer for the purpose of collecting information and sending it back to another source.

Phishing Phishing is where a fraudster pretending to be from a legitimate organization, such as a bank, sends misleading e-mails requesting confidential personal and financial details.