I worked with Karisa R on the project below.
We wanted to know more about what was and wasn’t safe on the internet. We researched four different sites and learned a lot about how to keep ourselves safe online. Here is what we learned.
There are some things that you need to know about the internet. For one thing, two of our sites stated that none of your posts are private and you never know who is going to see it. This doesn’t just mean Facebook; it also includes blog posts, Myspace, nothing is private. You should try to adjust your privacy settings, if they are available, so you can limit who sees your personal information. Several of our sites also said that the more children are online, the more they are at risk. As a parent, you should check what sites they are on and limit the amount of time they are online. Also make sure that your computer is in a common location of your home. If your child is making or receiving phone calls long distance or numbers you don’t know, they may be at risk. Having a good communication level with your child is ideal to keep them safe.
Since identity theft online is becoming more common, here our some tips to keep you safe. The authors of two of our sites remind you that your internet provider will never ask you for your password. Also, you should have a “strong password” with a minimum of 8 characters including words, symbols and numbers. Another fact is that you shouldn’t use common words because hackers use programs that will go through every word in the dictionary. It is recommended to change your password at least every ninety days. The authors also suggest that you have different passwords for your online accounts. So if your password is stolen, they can’t get into all of your accounts.
Taking this advice into consideration could help keep your computer and its users safe. The author of one of the websites would like to point out that you should be skeptical when online. Not everything you read is true. Again as a reminder, never give out your password, even to a close, personal friend. We hope that you will now be better educated on how to keep yourself safe online.
“Connect Safely |Online Safety 3.0: Empowering and Protecting Youth | Commentaries – Staff.” Connect Safely |Connect Safely | Online Safety 3.0 – on and off the Fixed and Mobile Internet. 2009. Web. 15 Sept. 2010. <http://www.connectsafely.org/Commentaries-Staff/online-safety-30-empowering-and-protecting-youth.html>.
“FBI Publications – A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety.” FBI — Federal Bureau of Investigation Homepage. Web. 15 Sept. 2010. <http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm>.
“Top Cyber Security Practices | STAYSAFEONLINE.org.” Welcome to Stay Safe Online | STAYSAFEONLINE.org. Web. 15 Sept. 2010. <http://www.staysafeonline.org/content/top-cyber-security-practices-tip?page=5>.
“US-CERT Cyber Security Tip ST06-003 — Staying Safe on Social Network Sites.” US-CERT: United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team. 22 Apr. 2009. Web. 15 Sept. 2010. <http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST06-003.html>.
