Internet Safety Night

9/18/07--Megan L Gill, Marketing & Communications Manager, Missouri Research & Education Network (MOREnet)
The Missouri Research & Education Network (MOREnet) is hosting a nationwide Internet Safety Night October 23, 2007, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. CDT.

We are inviting communities across the country to participate by hosting simultaneous local events and connecting to the main host event in Columbia , MO via interactive videoconferencing or live streaming video.

The goal is to create a live national discussion of Internet safety issues, including online predators, cyber-bullying, identity theft and others, to help keep families safe online. Please help us encourage schools and libraries in your communities to host events.

Participating in Internet Safety Night is easy! Choose a location with an Internet connection, and decide how you'll connect to Columbia - either online via live streaming video, or by interactive videoconferencing. Then invite students, parents, law enforcement, teachers, counselors and other members of the community to attend. Let MOREnet know the details of your event and we'll help you promote it. Then connect to us for the live event - it's that easy!

More details and information can be found at http://besafe.more.net/isn, or you can contact me directly at 573.882.0054 or gillm@more.net and I'll be happy to help you get an event underway. The deadline for confirming remote host sites is October 12, 2007.

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2 SMRT 4U Campaign
Urges Youth to Type Smart and Post Wisely Online

The 2 SMRT 4U campaign, and its tagline, "Type Smart, Post Wisely," is a Postal Inspection Service-led effort designed to promote internet safety.

E-mail Safety Tips

3/27/07 - Joy Faerber
E-mail's usefulness is under attack because of spam and spam scams (also known as phishing). Read on to find out how to defend yourself and your teen against some of the hazards of e-mail.

•  Choose a safe e-mail name that doesn't give away personal information.

• Pick something that doesn't help identify or locate you. For example, SusieDoe_14_small_town@google.com.au reveals enough for someone to find Susie-her name, age, and small town in Australia .
• Avoid using flirtatious names like "2sexy4U" or "I_like_handcuffs" which may cause unwanted attention and expose you to greater risk.
  
•  Don't share sensitive personal information in e-mail.

• Never share passwords, social security number, credit card information, and the like.
• Pay attention if you use an automatic e-mail signature. This is a handy feature for friends because it typically provides your full name, address, and phone numbers. But if it's inserted automatically in all your e-mail responses, you might unwittingly reveal more information than you intended with people you don't know.

•  Consider who you want to e-mail with. Some people only want to send or receive e-mail with close friends and family; others use it much more openly. Decide what you are comfortable with and set appropriate limits. Remember, just because someone sends you an e-mail doesn't mean you need to receive it. Block messages from specific senders, or restrict your e-mail from anyone not specifically on your contact list.

•  Think twice before you open attachments or click links in e-mail-even if you know the sender. Sending photos, documents, and links in e-mail is an easy and convenient way to share with others, but the bad guys can use these to slip spam and viruses onto your computer.

• If you don't know the sender, delete the message; if you do know the sender, double-check that an attachment or link is safe to open. If you can't confirm, your best bet is delete the message.
• If anyone sends you inappropriate material, report it. Don't shut down the computer; instead turn off the monitor and walk away. Tell your parents, your ISP, and the police, if appropriate.
  

•  Don't be fooled by phishing. Be very skeptical if you receive an e-mail that looks like it is from your bank or other trusted company that asks you to verify or re-enter sensitive personal or financial information through e-mail, a Web site they direct you to, or a phone number they provide. It is quite likely a scam. It's better to type in your own link to the bank or company, or look up the phone number yourself.

•  Avoid typing sensitive information into a public computer. This includes your name and phone numbers, account numbers and passwords, or home or e-mail addresses. An industrious thief might install a kind of spyware that records your every keystroke for the crook. Never select the feature that automatically logs you on to e-mail when you start the computer, or accept a "Remember My Password" option.

•  Be cautious about meeting in person someone you know only through e-mail. Everything someone tells you about themselves and their motivation for meeting you may be completely true - or none of it could be. They may feel like a close friend, but they are still a stranger. If you decide to meet someone, never go alone make sure others know where you're going, and have your cell phone handy.

•  Consider what you're saying and sharing in e-mail and how you would feel if the information was shared. Anything you say in e-mail can be forwarded to others.

•  Report harassment or bullying. As in real life, this is unacceptable behavior and in some cases can be illegal. Report harassment or abuse to your internet service provider.)

•  Help protect children using e-mail.

• For younger children, use a service that allows you to limit your child's contacts (so they can only e-mail people you both know) and allows you to monitor who they're talking to.
• With teens, have a discussion about who they communicate with and what they talk about. Set boundaries that match your family's values and their age, reassessing these boundaries periodically as they mature. Caution them not to list their e-mail addresses publicly, or respond to e-mail from strangers; if they wouldn't tell the person their street address, they may well not want to give their online address.

(Adapted from “Look Both Ways – How to Keep Your Family Safe on the Internet” by Linda Criddle Website:  http://look-both-ways.com )

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What is “Blogging”

2/12/07--Joy Faerber, WSU
Simply put, blogs (short for Web logs) are online journals. Just as in any journal, the blog owner (or blogger) can speak out on any subject he or she pleases in words or drawings. But unlike traditional journals, entries can also include lists of favorite music and books, maps, videos, links to Web sites, search tools, quizzes and so on.  Each blog entry usually contains a title, a profile of the author, a date stamp, photos and the poster's comments.  Another key difference is anyone can visit a blog and comment on what the blogger is saying.

A blog is a great way to express yourself and broadcast your opinions. Unfortunately, public blogs are also used by criminals as a way to collect information that can be used to steal your identity, rob your home, harass or physically harm you, your children or your friends.

Eight safety tips for blogging

1. Think carefully about how public your blog is.  The more personal or identifiable the information you share, the fewer people you should share it with.  If you want your blog to be public, only disclose what you want the general public to know. Otherwise, keep your blog private. Also, periodically review who has access to your site and make changes if necessary. We all know that friends change over time.  For example, you drift apart or experience a rift that breaks a friendship. How will your information be treated then?
2. Keep identifying details to yourself and close friends. A good rule of thumb: if you wouldn't share the info on your blog with a strange guy on a dark street, don't post it for the public.
   • Don't use your real name on your site (or anyone else's either). Your friends already know the details and its no one else's business. Create a nickname or screen name that doesn't attract the wrong kind of attention or help someone find you.
   • Don't give information that puts you on the map. Don't mention such details as your address, school, where you work, even the town name if it's small.
   • Don't reveal any information that gives away your age such as your birth date or year of graduation.
3. Be smart about the photos you post. What does the picture show about you?  Does it attract the wrong kind of attention or help someone find you?
   • What's in the background? Does the photo show your house number, a street sign, a license plate, a clear landmark?
   • Did you caption your photos with full names or other identifying details?
   • What's on your shirt? The name of your school, sports team, or club? Your name?
   • Who's in the picture? If it shows friends or family members, you may be putting them at risk, too.
4. Be careful about sharing your feelings in your blog. You probably express feelings in your blog through other ways than just writing. The poems you select, the music you list, the pictures you post-all these tell a lot about who you are and how you feel. A snapshot, too, can reveal how you feel about yourself-proud of your body, lacking self-confidence, sad, trying to look sexy or cool? All of this is great information to a predator who's on the hunt and who would be delighted to make you feel important or special.
5. Check out what your friends write about you. In their blogs, they may be announcing that they'll miss you because your family is going on vacation-and you may come back to a burglarized house. Or maybe they're giving out your address or real name so someone can find you. Check the comments they leave on your blog, too, to make sure they don't give away personal details.
6. Be very cautious about meeting in person someone you only know through blogging. Everything they've told you about themselves and their motivation for meeting you may be completely true - or none of it could be. They may feel like a close friend, but they are still a stranger.
7. If you think there's a problem, report it immediately. No one has the right to threaten or upset you.  If anyone (even someone you know) sends you something creepy, says something scary, asks lots of personal questions, or tries to meet you, report the problem. (If you're a minor, talk to an adult you trust.) Every service should make it easy to report abuse function; if your blogging service doesn't, consider switching providers.
8. Help your kids to blog safely. Young bloggers, particularly teens, are at high risk if they make their blogs available to the public instead of to a limited group of friends and family. This is a time when teens are reaching out for new identities, friends, and validation and are less concerned about their overall safety making them relatively easy targets for predators. To mitigate these risks:
   • Talk frankly about what it takes to stay safer when blogging; the points above are a great place to begin.
   • Periodically ask you child or teen to show you what they are saying in their blog, what comments they're getting, and so on.

A few more:

• Talk to your family and friends about the kinds of information you're willing to make public and what you'd rather keep private. Everyone you interact with online needs to respect your safety boundaries, and you need to respect theirs. Posting information about others is not okay—in comments, photos, and so on—unless they agree to share that information. And not only should you ask permission, but you should also make it clear who can see your site. In the case of minors, you might need to get their parents' permission as well.
• Make sure the blogging site you use has clear privacy and security policies, has a simple way to report abuse, and outlines how the site will respond to reports of it. The site should also offer tools to help protect your safety such as a way to control who has permission to see your blog, the ability to block harassing users and to turn on or off comments, and site monitors.

(Adapted from “Look Both Ways – How to Keep Your Family Safe on the Internet” by Linda Criddle Website:  http://look-both-ways.com)

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