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Online Safety
----------------------> By Dan Carber
| | :: School Survival Guide ::Tips on handling school situations like study tips, fighting procrastination, dealing with bullies, cheaters or peer pressure.
The internet can be a great place. Anything you could ever want to know is just a few clicks away. You can make friends chatting with someone from Kiribati, and then ‘Google’ it to see where in the world Kiribati is. In just minutes you can find a country’s history, culture and see satellite images of it. You don’t even have to get out of your chair or stop chatting with your new friend.
Unfortunately, all that available information means others have it too. What you post on your blog, in newsgroups, chat rooms or anywhere else can leave breadcrumbs which can lead someone right to your front door – whether you want them to come knocking or not. And chances are you don’t want the people who would come unannounced to show up.
Being safe online should be taken seriously. It might sound like making a big deal out of nothing, but the truth is you have to be careful with what you write because what you put out there can be accessed by anyone at any time. And once it’s out there, it can be hard to take back.
Even simply stating a first and last name on a blog could lead to trouble. If you mention your school, state, or city with your name, it is easier to find out where you live. If your phone number is in the phone book, your address can be found online in seconds if someone knows what city you’re near. All anyone needs to know is a last name and an address and you can be found.
Sound scary? Well, it can be. It is not normal for an adult to want to ‘hang out’ or ‘get together for lunch’ with a child. It’s also not normal for an adult to take an unhealthy interest in a child, either by asking you to keep secrets just between the two of you or letting you in on something that they say nobody else knows.
There are ways to be safe online. Don’t use your real name, and don’t give out any information that you wouldn’t want your worst enemy to have. Pretend someone is out to get you, and they read everything you write looking for a way to find you. It may sound a little paranoid and it might even sound crazy, but it could save your life.
The same precautions should be taken later in life. Older internet users need to also be careful of identity thieves who want to rip you off and take all your money.
Here are a few things to keep in mind the next time you surf the web:
1. Don’t give out personal information such as your name, address, telephone number, name and location of your school or anywhere you hang out.
2. Tell a parent or trustworthy adult if you are confronted online by someone who says or does something that makes you feel uncomfortable.
3. Never agree to get together or meet someone you meet online without first checking with a parent. If your parent agrees to the meeting, make sure it is in a public place and bring someone else along.
4. Never send a person your picture or anything else of a private or personal nature without first checking with a parent.
5. If someone sends you a message that makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, tell a parent right away so that they can report it to the online service.
6. Don’t continue a conversation with someone who is trying to ask you personal questions that you don’t want to answer. You’re not obligated to answer anything you don’t want to.
7. Don’t use your real name as a username or in your email address. Consider using two emails, one for close friends and family and another for your website, blog or chat program. Yahoo.com, Google.com, Hotmail.com and many others offer free email addresses. Take advantage of them.
8. If someone starts bothering you, ignore them. Get offline or go visit somewhere else until they go away. Never get into an argument, some people use that as a way to try and get information from you.
9. If something doesn’t seem right to you, it probably isn’t. Trust your instincts.
10. People aren’t always who they say they are online, so don’t get fooled. Just because someone say’s they’re a 13 year old Spiderman fan from Chicago, it doesn’t mean they are.
11. Never, NEVER pretend to be someone that you know in real life by using their information as your own. You could be putting them in danger, and if something happens you could be held responsible.
12. What is right and wrong offline, is the same as it is online. If you wouldn’t accept gifts from the creepy old guy who’s trying to get you into the back of his van, don’t accept gifts from anyone who is trying to be your friend. They need your home address to send you a gift, right? You might be giving that same creepy old guy your real name and address.
13. When using chat rooms, stay in the public areas and only use well moderated rooms. If someone you don’t know invites you to private chat, don’t go.
14. Just like a deer doesn’t stand a chance against an expert hunter, you don’t stand a chance against someone who is trying to manipulate you, and spends considerable time, money, and energy to do so. They want you to challenge them. It gets their foot in the door. Don’t try and match wits with them, just stay away.
Remember to always be safe and be careful. There is no greater crime then when an adult betrays the trust of a child and victimizes them. Being safe on the internet can prevent many of these instances.
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