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Google Promotes Online Safety With 'Good to Know' Campaign

Gillan Guy, the CAB's chief executive, said that “Information is a powerful tool for preventing problems from arising in the first and safety, personal data and identity theft are among the top concerns of people of using internet”.

10 Ways To Stay Safe Online 1. Be a responsible cyber citizen. If you use the Internet, you're a citizen of a global community-a cyber citizen. Just like being a citizen of your local community, being a cyber citizen has responsibilities. Use the Internet to share knowledge that makes people's lives better. Keep safe, use good manners and respect the laws. 2. Use anti-virus software. A computer virus is a program that can invade your computer and damage or destroy information. Anti-virus software is designed to protect you and your computer against known viruses. But with new viruses emerging daily, anti-virus programs need to be updated regularly. Check with the web site of your anti-virus software company to see some sample descriptions of viruses and to get regular updates for your software. Stop viruses in their tracks! 3. Do not open email from unknown sources. Delete email from unknown sources. Watch out for files attached to e-mails, particularly those with an "exe" extension-even if people you know sent them to you. Some files transport and distribute viruses and other programs that can permanently destroy files and damage computers and Web sites. Do not forward e-mail if you are not completely sure that any attached files are safe. 4. Use hard-to-guess passwords and keep them private. Do not write passwords down on small pieces of paper taped to your computer. You would be surprised how many people are sloppy about keeping their passwords private. Passwords that are easy to-guess are a bad choice. In other words, if your name is "Dan" do not make your password "Dan." Change your passwords regularly and don't give your passwords to anyone! Tell your family that combinations of letters, numbers and symbols are harder to crack than just words. 5. Protect computers with firewalls. Install firewalls for your family-it is not difficult. A firewall helps prevent hackers from breaking into your computer or the computers that belong to your family. Firewalls help prevent thieves from stealing and using private information including your phone number and credit card numbers, which may be stored on a family computer. 6. Do not share access to your computers with strangers. Learn about file sharing risks. Your computer operating system may allow other computers on a network, including the Internet, to access the hard-drive of your computer in order to "share files". This ability to share files can be used to infect your computer with a virus or look at the files on your computer if you do not pay close attention. Check your operating system and other program help files to learn how to disable file sharing. Do not share access to your computer with strangers! 7. Disconnect from the Internet when not in use. The Internet is a two-way road. You get information and also send information. Turning off the Internet makes sure that someone else on the Internet can't enter your computer and cause harm. Disconnecting your computer from the Internet when you are not online lessens the chance that someone will be able to access your computer. 8. Back-up your computer regularly. Help your family back up all household computers onto external media such as CD's or diskettes. 9. Regularly download security protection update "patches". Security flaws are regularly found in operating systems and application software. Companies that make software release quick fixes called "patches" that you should install to correct the latest software flaw. It is a good idea to check for security updates on the publisher's Web site for all the software you own. 10. Help your family to check computer security on a regular basis. Evaluate computer security at least twice a year. To help remember, do it when you change the clocks for daylight-savings time! Check for all of the items listed previously.

Internet and Computer Safety

“Dr. Caudle advises that, in addition to interacting more with their children, parents should also take the necessary preventive measures to create safe places for their children to get away from cyber-bullying. “The home should be a safe place where open discussion is not only allowed, but invited,” says Dr. Caudle. Parental supervision and involvement in a child’s social interactions allows for a sense of comfort and protection from bullying. ”

“Dr. Caudle also notes that one must not forget about the bullies themselves. Often, bullying is a cry for help and can usually be traced to a time when the bully was in fact a victim of this type of behavior. Thus, creating a safe environment where one’s child feels comfortable enough to talk about being bullied can help put a stop to bullying before it ever starts.”

“According to Dr. Caudle, in order to prevent cyber-bullying, parents must be actively involved in their children’s cyber lives. “Communication with one’s children is the key to bully prevention,” says Dr. Caudle. So send them a friend request on Facebook. Play some XBOX Live—or another system with online gaming—with them. Parents who are proactively involved with their children’s interactions online are subsequently able to monitor these interactions more closely. Therefore, such parents will be exponentially more informed with regard to what bullies, if any, exist in their children’s lives, both online and off. ”

Teen Safety on the Internet More and more teenagers are logging on to the Internet every day. Although the Internet is a great source for research projects and other information, there are also dangers involved with surfing the Web. For example, a study conducted in 2000 found that 25 percent of kids 10 to 17 years of age received unwanted pornographic material.The Web allows you to be completely anonymous. Someone who says that he is a 15-year-old boy may actually be a 50-year-old man pretending to be a teen for inappropriate reasons. As a result, agreeing to meet in person with someone you met over the Internet is extremely dangerous, as this can result in sexual assault or even murder. How to Stay Safe on the Internet E-mail Safety Chat Rooms Assessing a Web Site Blogging How to Stay Safe on the Internet Never give out personal information, such as your name, home address or phone number, the name of your school, pictures, credit card numbers or the names of your parents without permission from your parents.Do not meet in person with someone you met online. Do not give out your password to anyone.In chat rooms, use a name that is not gender-specific so you are less likely to receive pornographic material or other forms of harassment. If you do receive pornographic material, report it to your local police department. Back to top E-mail Safety

Do not open links or files from people you do not know.Never respond to e-mails with pornographic or other inappropriate material.Do not respond to advertisements -- this confirms that you have a working e-mail account, and you will only receive more junk e-mail.

11 Ways to Stay Safe Online & Protect Your Privacy By Nerissa Sardi on September 1, 2009 2:25 PM | No TrackBacks Nearly everyone is using the internet these days to find information or connect with others. But surfing the web can still sometimes feel like the Wild West. Despite technological advances to help reduce the risk of identity theft, becoming the victim of an internet scam or having your privacy invaded is a persistent threat. And, as a number of recent incidents involving social networking websites have shown us, it can even be fatal Keeping your guard up is essential to avoid trouble on the internet. Here are eleven tips from FindLaw.com to help you stay safe online: 1. Be careful who you give your information Avoid giving out personal information such as your name, address, telephone number or other personal information on websites until read and understand their privacy policy. For example, be on guard for online promotions or contests in which you may be asked to provide details about yourself. This information could be used to market to you in the future. Never give out your Social Security number or passwords online, unless you are certain the site is secure. 2. Know you're being watched Be careful of the e-mails you send and the websites you visit while at work. In most U.S. states, employees are exempt from protection by employers who may be monitoring e-mails and internet use while on the job. 3. Don't reply to spamEver get one of those strange, unexpected e-mails for real estate, weight loss, work-at-home or investment opportunities? Your best bet is to delete those e-mails without opening them. Never reply to these e-mails, even to request they remove your name from their lists. Replying will alert the sender that your e-mail is a "live" e-mail attached to an actual person.  4. Use secured websites Before you purchase a product or service online with a credit card, make sure the connection is secure or encrypted. Look for a small lock icon on the website, or look at the URL address line; a secure connection will begin with https:// ("s" for secured) instead of http:// 5. Beware of public wireless accessDon't send personal or confidential information when using public wireless connections in cafes and other public places. Fellow wireless users could potentially monitor what you are doing only a few feet away. 6. Think before you post Avoid revealing personal information or photos on websites such as Facebook, MySpace or SecondLife. Personal or embarrassing information and images can haunt you in years to come like when you are applying for college or a new job. If it's on the internet, it's available for a potential employer, your school, a future or current spouse, your mother or grandmother to find it. 7. Don't trust your friends A number of recent incidents involving "sexting" demonstrate, sending photos of yourself in the nude or in compromising positions could not only be extremely embarrassing when a partner or ex-partner starts to share those photos with his or her friends, but it also could be illegal. 8. Beware of classified listing meet-upsWhen using websites such as Craigslist or Freelist to buy or exchange goods locally, always bring someone you trust with you to meet the seller/buyer. Be cautious about letting strangers into your home or meeting in unsafe places 9. Watch your cookies Cookies are tidbits of information that websites store on your computer. Some cookies are useful, such as those that store information about you so you don't have to retype info every time you go to that site. Other cookies are used to track your motions through a website. Some companies keep this data for their own usages - however, some sell your information to other marketers. You can monitor and edit the cookies on your computer through your browser. 10. Use anti-spyware Spyware is sneaky software that rides its way onto computers during the download of screensavers, games, music and other applications. Spyware sends information about what you're doing on the internet to a third-party, usually to target you with pop-up ads. Anti-spyware will help block this threat. 11. Monitor your kids' internet useMove computers out of the bedroom and into family space where parents and others can check on your child's internet use by simply walking by. Set specific times that your child may surf the web, and set rules about social media websites, such as Facebook, My Space and Twitter.

First step, if you don't have a Facebook account, get one and learn about it before you allow your teen to get one. Another suggestion, teach your kids to use common sense. Don't put your social security number, address or phone number online. Finally, don't teach your kids to be dishonest!

Ways to Prevent Cybercrime Many cybercrimes start with malware. Criminals use malware to steal personal information and commit fraud. Avoid malware with these STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Tips: Keep a clean machine: Having the latest security software, web browser, and operating system are the best defenses against viruses, malware, and other online threats. Automate software updates: Many software programs will automatically connect and update to defend against known risks. Turn on automatic updates if that’s an available option. Protect all devices that connect to the Internet: Along with computers, smart phones, gaming systems, and other web-enabled devices also need protection from viruses and malware. Plug & scan: “USBs” and other external devices can be infected by viruses and malware. Use your security software to scan them. Protect your $$: When banking and shopping, check to be sure the sites is security enabled. Look for web addresses with “https://” or “shttp://”, which means the site takes extra measures to help secure your information. “Http://” is not secure. Back it up: Protect your valuable work, music, photos, and other digital information by making an electronic copy and storing it safely.

Her presentation, titled “Better Safe than Sorry,” outlines the social network environment that she said may be foreign to most parents but very common to students.It covers Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Friendster, Bebo, Yahoo, Google Plus, Classmates, Flicker, Instagram, You Tube and My Space, all social networking programs, Aguilera said.Aguilera said with so many people using social networking and so many young people posting personal information, its important that teens learn the basics of operating safely on the Web.