Computer Security

What Makes the Internet so Dangerous?

Bottom line is this; kids are computer savvy, many parents are not. Technology to mom and dad can be foreign, to Junior it is just another part of daily life and has been for years. The major factor of internet security lies on the parent’s shoulders, the problem being, many just do not understand the dangers that lurk on the web and aren’t “hip” to the frightening trends and sites that children may be viewing or interacting with. Some parents may be very strict on what their children watch on TV, or who they hang out with, but take a lax approach to the internet. This is may not entirely be the parent’s fault and it is also the duty of local, state and federal Police as well as the duty of the media and social organizations to make parents aware of what is going on and provide them resources to help.

So What Can You Do?

1. Most important is to communicate with your children what your expectations are while they are online. Just as you would not allow them to hang around with the unsavory crowd at school you should also know who they befriend in chat rooms and social networking sites. These people have just as much of an impact on your child’s psyche and behavior as real life friends and associates do. Studies continue to show that children and teens become so wrapped up in this “pseudo-world” it becomes very real to them. Basically put, this is virtual reality in the making. Many children cannot fully distinguish the difference as an adult may be able to and become engrossed in this fantasy world. This is why role playing is such a big part of chat rooms, and is exactly how a child predator “grooms” his next victim.

2. Do not allow your child to have a computer in his or her room. Make it centrally located where you can monitor what is going on.

3. Set the amount of time that your child is allowed online. For instance; 30 minutes after homework is done, and an hour on weekends.

4. Set parental controls with your internet browser and/or service provider, most all of them can assist you with this. You may change security settings on your operating system or buy software specifically designed for that purpose.

5. Know whom your children are speaking to. Know whose screen name belongs to whom.

6. If they enter a chat room full of strangers ensure they do not post any personal information. For instance, last names and addresses should never be given (i.e., Joe from PA, not: Joe Smith from 123 Front st. Anytown, PA). Phone numbers should be barred from the internet completely, even in casual chatter between friends in a chat room or social networking site.

7. Make sure they only visit trusted sites and NEVER click on a link sent in an e-mail, on an unknown site, or in an instant message. Nothing should be downloaded from an unknown source (the same goes for mom and dad).

8. Use common sense. Ensuring the safety of your kids is no different online than it is out in the real world.

9. Cell phones and iPods can carry the same dangers as a computer, don’t assume your child’s smart phone doesn’t pose the same risks and won’t require the same diligence.

10. Any login names or passwords need to be decided by the parents or given to the parents by the child making that account. If the password is changed the account is deleted, no questions asked. A parent should not be weary of logging into the child’s account on occasion to see what is being posted, e-mailed, or chatted about.

11. Always create secure passwords. Never use names of family, addresses, birthdays, and so on. These things can easily be cracked by the right person.

12. If you don’t know the answer to a question, or are having a problem, don’t hesitate to ask other parents, teachers, or law enforcement.

Danger in Depth: Child Predators.

The biggest concern to have when dealing with the internet is the potential that your child could come into contact with an adult using the web with intentions of exploiting children. There are many crimes that can occur online and many of them can be remedied; a virus you downloaded can be removed, the credit card that was stolen from an unsecure online store can be cancelled and money refunded, your child’s innocence cannot easily be replaced.

This crime can happen to any family at any time if they do not take precautions. Child predators can be experts at manipulating and convincing children to their way of thinking. A good majority of them have exploited children in the past and will continue to do so even after arrest. They are patient individuals who will spend as long as they need to convince the potential victim that it is safe to meet them and OK to talk to them. Furthermore, a child predator will not stop at anything to have a one on one meeting once the offer has been accepted by your child. They have been known to travel thousands of miles just to make their plans come to fruition and lavish expensive gifts on the victim to bribe them into thinking they are a trustworthy adult.

In July 2007 Myspace removed over 29,000 convicted sex offenders from it’s services (source: http://www.speedbrake.com/tips/predator.htm). These people are out there in droves on websites and in every chat room you can imagine. So how does your child stay safe and still enjoy networking with their friends?

1. As a rule, ensure that your child never speaks to anyone in a private chat who they do not already know personally. If someone claims to be a known friend with a new screen name do not speak to them, rather, confirm with the friend by phone or in person if it was in fact them.

2. Engaging in constructive conversations in chat rooms with unknown people is OK as long as it remains a public conversation and no personal information is being divulged. Predators of all walks of life keep up to date on the trends that are marketed towards kids and they will be in the chat rooms that are frequented by juveniles. This is what they use to convince the victim that they have much in common and need to get to know each other better.

3. Meetings in person with anyone met online should be prohibited. Just because the person your kids are speaking to online claims to be a 15 year old male from the same school does not mean that he is.

4. Child predators take the time to do their homework on their victims and learn as much about them as they can. If you believe your child has been chatting with such a person report any suspicious activity around your home, school as well as problems online to Law Enforcement.

5. Ensure your kids know they can come to you and report any inappropriate conversations or attempts to solicit a meeting from people they don’t know. If they report to you that they have engaged in private conversations with an adult, ensure you gain as much information from them as they are able to provide so you may pass it along to Law Enforcement.

6. Never underestimate what these people are capable of and willing to do to exploit an innocent child.

7. Never allow your child to send any type of photo to anyone they do not know. There are different types of offenders, some of them do not wish to meet a child face to face but would rather convince him or her to take explicit photos and share them. While these types of criminals may not physically harm a child (although the potential for them to do so is there) they will mentally harm the child and expose them to a world you would not wish them be exposed to. Once they obtain these photos they will certainly share them with like minded individuals around the globe. Getting a photo will only feed the fire and they will certainly continue to victimize children in this manner, possibly getting more brazen and escalating what they are willing to do to get pictures.

Taken from the book, "A Guide To Internet Security: How to Protect your Family From Internet Crime". www.internetsecuritytaskforce.com

Authored by your humble webmaster