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Cyber 911 Tiplines The Internet
Internet safety FAQ's and safe surfing tips
The amount of information on the Internet is virtually boundless, and the subjects covered, vast. Since the Internet is not formally censored, there are topics available that are inappropriate for children. This can range from hate and bigotry, to adult material, child pornography, misinformation, drugs, tobacco, alcohol, hacking information...some of which is appropriate only for adults, and some of which isn't appropriate even for adults.
Parents must warn their kids that there is such material on the Internet. If you don't, you're allowing them to be sitting ducks for information you deem inappropriate. It's a great way to teach your family's values too...explain why you oppose certain information. "Because I said so..." doesn't go any further with our children than it did with us. The only way we can teach what we stand for, is by explaining why we stand for it. It's the only way our children will learn how to make their own value judgments. In addition, what one parents considers inappropriate may be fine for another...it's a family by family, and a child by child test.
Beyond that, parents can install filtering software (or subscribe to an ISP that provides server filtering) that blocks such topics. But filtering alone won't do it...you owe it to your children to talk about this!
Check out our Safe Sites and the rated filtering products.
- How dangerous is cyberspace for adults?
- How dangerous is cyberspace for children?
- I'm lonely...can I meet someone in cyberspace?
- Can I use my credit card in cyberspace without being defrauded?
- Can anyone really know who the other person is online?
- Can I order alcohol online?
- What should I do if I see pornography with children in it?
- What should I do if someone asks me for personal information online?
- How can I protect my computer from viruses?
- How secret is my e-mail?
- Can I use a graphic, photo or text from someone else's site?
- Can I print out a photo and use it in my report for school or work?
How dangerous is cyberspace for adults?
Although the vast majority (estimated at between 90 and 97%) of the Internet is terrific, a portion of it can be considered dangerous to adults and to children. There are two kinds of bad things in cyberspace for adults: information and actions. Information cannot hurt an adult, but certain actions might. Why?:
1. information, which really can't hurt any adult who can use critical thinking. Adults can make their own decisions about hate groups, advertising, alcohol and drug endorsements. Sex and other content which some people find objectionable. There is no reason to filter information, which is otherwise legal for adults.
2. actions, which can hurt and scare people online and off. Certain people are empowered online, they behave in ways and do things they would ordinarily never do face-to-face. They think they are anonymous sitting behind their monitor. They think they are not accountable.
These people may harass others online. They may stalk them online, following them from chat to chat, from discussion are to discussion area...sending them e-mail that may be threatening or just obsessive. Their message may or may not be sexual in nature.
These people may also take the online stalking into real life, trying to find the person offline and pursue them there as well.
Some of these actions may be illegal. They certainly violate the terms of service of your online or Internet service provider, and those of the stalkers.
If you think you are the victim of a stalker online, report it to your service provider immediately. Make a copy of the offending communications, either by printing them out, or by copying them onto a disc or your hard drive. Make sure you provide a copy of the harassing communication to your provider, so they can take the appropriate action.
If it doesn't stop, contact us or one of the stalking resources at our site, or your local law enforcement. Make sure that you send copies of the offending communications as well.
DON'T, confront the harasser yourself. It will only escalate the problem.
Follow this link to our Cyberstalking and Harassment section for information and self-help >>
How dangerous is cyberspace for children?
Although the vast majority (estimated at between 90 and 97%) of the Internet is terrific, a portion of it can be considered dangerous to children. There are three kinds of dangers for children online: information, child pornography and online and offline predators.
1. Kids Information. Children often do not have the critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate the credibility of information. When they come across a hate site, they may not be sophisticated enough to know that they should disregard the message being conveyed at that site. The same hold true with adult sexual material, alcohol and drug sites, violence sites, and others that may be inappropriate for children (and in some cases adults as well<g>).
In the same way that adults have special rights, because they are adults...such as the right to vote, drink and to buy adult sexual material, adults should have these rights online as well. We shouldn't require every adult to read only the material that is appropriate for a ten year old. That's one of the perquisites of being an adult, choosing what legal material you want to access.
But that doesn't mean that parents, educators and other caretakers of children shouldn't be able to screen out some of these materials when they do not believe that child is ready to be exposed to such information. Parents, educators and caretakers can use filtering software and other technology tools to help screen out certain online material. You can learn more about filtering software options at www.familyguidebook.com, the site for A Parents' Guide to the Internet, a book by our Executive Director and cyberspace lawyer, Parry Aftab, Esq.
2. Child pornography: Child pornography is not adult material that children happen to see, it is sexual material where children are used, or appear to be used, performing the sexual or sexually enticing acts. Child pornography is illegal in the United States. It is illegal to own it, produce it, make a copy of it, to buy it, to transmit it...at least in the United States.
In certain other countries it may be illegal to produce it, but not illegal to own it. In others, it may not be illegal at all, or the laws may not be enforced, even if it is illegal. Because the Internet is global, and material cannot be viewed only in one country... material may be viewed in the United States, where it is illegal, but put online in another country, where it might be legal. This creates very difficult legal conflicts. But, if it's viewed here...our law enforcement in the United States is empowered to try to stop it. (The two main agencies working in this area are U.S. Customs and the FBI.) They are also working with international law enforcement agencies to stop its production, even where it is currently legal to produce it. Many state law enforcement agencies are also policing cyberspace, when their states are involved. (If you want to learn more about state and local law enforcement agencies who have developed a cyberspace policing task force, visit our state law enforcement page. ). If you want to learn more about the law, as it relates to child pornography in the United States, check out our US law page. If you want to learn more about the laws in other countries, check out our international law page.
3. Online and offline predators: Unfortunately, there are people, both men and women, who prey on children online and offline These people are pedophiles, although not all pedophiles act on their obsessions. (These are often called "travelers" by law enforcement.)
Until the advent of the Internet, pedophiles were essentially loners. Some pedophile organizations existed, but since many pedophiles did not want to be recognized as such, a vast majority of pedophiles never became involved with those groups. Now, unfortunately, the anonymity of the Internet has emboldened many pedophiles. They have formed very active groups online, feeling less threatened because they do not meet face-to-face, and can hide behind their computer monitor.
These groups often educate pedophiles about how to lure children into face-to-face meetings. They share tips that have proven successful, and share arguments that can be used to get passed the child's "stranger danger" defenses. They teach each other about recent popular topics and products which can be used to lure children into face-to-face meetings.
Although some of these sites may be illegal, most are not. Speech is highly protected in the United States, and many of these sites fall into the area of protected speech. Just because they are legal, however, doesn't mean that our children should be exposed to them. Here again filtering software can be a helpful tool. But since many filtering software products do not block pedophile sites which are not legal, WiredPatrol, together with our strategic partner, SOC-UM, have built a list of sites which in our opinions advocate child abuse or pedophilia. This list, the KIDSLIST, is then licensed to certain filtering and ISP companies to allow parents to block access to these potentially dangerous sites.
But even the most dangerous online predator hasn't yet mastered the technology to allow them to reach through the monitor and grab your children. Your child may be emotionally wounded by an online predator, but they are truly endangered if the predator tries to reach your child offline as well. But they can't do that unless your child shares information that would allow the predator to find your child, or unless your child affirmatively wants to meet that person.
As a parent, educator or caretaker, you need to guard against that happening. Your child should be carefully taught not to share personal information online, whether on a profile or in a chat room. You have to teach them what information is personal. You may want to encourage them to use fun online aliases, rather than their own names. You may want to use filtering software which prevents them from sharing personal information with others online.
You child should not be allowed to surf alone in their room. It should be a family activity, in a central location. This will make it harder for the predator to get your child alone long enough to lure them into an offline meeting. Teach them never to meet anyone they met online, offline Teach them that people online may not be whom they seem to be or whom they say they are. Make sure your children take the online safety quiz, and pass it. Make sure you go over the safe surfing tips at this site and at others.
Although offline predators are not very common, they are more prevalent than they should be...when even one is too many!
I'm lonely...can I meet someone in cyberspace?
Lots of people are lonely, online and off. People have sought love through personal ads, dating services, blind dates and, now...online. But the advice is the same. Be Careful!!! People may not be whom they say they are... may not look like they say the do...they may not live where they told you they live, or work where they told you they work.
I'd tell you never to meet anyone you met online, in person...but you wouldn't listen. In fact I've met people I first met online. But, I made sure I knew things about them first, met them in a public place, and always with other people.
We've written tips for online romantic encounters...although we warn you never to meet anyone in person you only know online! We don't advocate offline encounters! Don't do it!! But, if you're going to ignore our advice, make sure you check out our online dating safety tips to try to minimize the risk. And please...please...please...be careful!!
Can I use my credit card in cyberspace without being defrauded?
Sure, just make sure you follow some simple rules. Only shop online at a secure site. If you use Netscape, make sure the key on the lower left hand corner is not broken. Make sure the site tells you it's secure. Some sites, like AOL's approved vendors, are guaranteed by AOL, which will refund any money lost in a transaction made with any of their approved vendors on AOL.
Make sure that you are dealing with a legitimate site. Many sites pretend that they are more famous sites, and gather the credit card information, before closing it down. But these are not very prevalent. Go to a site from a major search engine. Yahoo! checks all sites it lists, using people, not computer programs. Try using Yahoo! if you have any doubts. If you are looking for a particular site, and the name involved more than one word, put the full name in quotes before you execute the search. This will cut down on unrelated results.
If you are comfortable handing your credit card to a gas station attendant, who walks away with it...you should be comfortable using your credit card online. And remember, if someone uses your credit card number...without your authorization...your credit card company will normally have to credit your account. It becomes their problem, not yours.
Can anyone really know who the other person is online?
Nope. Anyone can be anything they want online. You can be older or younger, any gender you want, any color you want, any religion you want...tall, short, blonde, beautiful, no one can tell the difference. You can post any photo you want, and put anything in a profile.
A fifty year old man can pretend to be a fourteen year old girl. That's why you need to be very careful...and don't believe anything you read or anyone tells you online. Make sure you're always wearing your thinking cap...and never give out information just because you think you know who the other person is.
Sometimes they even use someone else's e-mail. Even if their not being sneaky about it, sometimes a child may be using their parents' e-mail. Be sure you check before saying things that you consider private to someone online, even if you think you know them.
Soon we'll all have digitalized signatures, so people will know who we are, and can make sure it's no one pretending to be you. Until then, be careful! And remember...I'm tall, blonde, twenty and gorgeous!! (And I have a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell you...<gg>)
Not in most states in the U.S., at least not legally. Most states have a special license for anyone importing alcohol into their state. They charge taxes on the imported alcohol. And, only licensed wholesalers can hold the license and sell it to licensed liquor retailers or other wholesalers, not individuals.
Many states, including New York, have started cracking down on this practice. So, be careful and check with your state's attorney general's office before buying any alcohol online, even if you're an adult.
What should I do if I see pornography with children in it?
Don't download it or make copies of it. To do so is a crime, even if you're only making copies to send it to law enforcement. Instead, contact us or other safety advocacy groups online or off. Make sure you record the URL, and send that to us as well.
Follow this link to our Child Pornography Reportline >>
We have a good relationship with law enforcement agencies around the world, and turn over this information so they can prosecute the people who market in child pornography.
If you download the material or otherwise make copies of it, it could hurt the prosecution of the case. We wouldn't want that to happen.
You can also call 1-800-BE-ALERT (US Customs) or 1-800-THE-LOST (The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children).
What should I do if someone asks me for personal information online?
Children should never be sharing personal information online without their parents' okay. Adults should be aware that many sites request personal information from them and their children to share it with advertisers and others who want information about who is online.
Children should be taught to use an online alias, so they won't be precluded from accessing sites that require personal information. Adults should do the same, unless it's a site they can trust that posts a privacy policy they are comfortable with.
If you want to know more, you can check out our privacy pages. Want to know our privacy policy?
How can I protect my computer from viruses?
Get a good anti-virus program. The best ones update daily, and allow their users to download updates. As new viruses are developed and discovered, new protections have to be designed. Unless you update, you won't have full protection.
Also, practice safe computing. Never use a disc that belongs to someone else without checking it for viruses, and making sure the program your using to check it is reliable and updated. Don't let your kids share discs with their friends either. Make sure that anything you download from the Internet is virus checked first, and don't download anything from a site you don't trust.
Follow this link to our Virus and Security Alerts section >>
No e-mail is private unless it's encrypted (you can learn more about this in our what's encryption FAQ below). You should never put anything on an e-mail that you wouldn't put on a postcard.
It is illegal for someone to intercept your e-mail during transmission. However, it may be misdirected, misaddressed or whatever.
Follow this link to our e-mail safety section >>
Can I use a graphic, photo or text from someone else's site?
Not without the permission of the copyright owner. Unless the material is in the public domain (and you can find lots of public domain graphics sites online), it belongs to someone. The copyright owners are taking online infringement very seriously these days and may people with personal web sites have been targeted by copyright owners. Disney and Star Trek are two of the most heavily prosecuted infringements online.
In addition to being sued, infringers may also be facing criminal prosecution.
You can learn more about copyright in cyberspace at http://www.aftab.com, a cyberlaw site run by our Executive Director, Parry Aftab, Esq.
Can I print out a photo and use it in my report for school or work?
There are two answers...one is legal, the other practical. You can't legally use it in your report, even if you credit it...the right to copy a photo belongs to the person owning the copyright on the photo. But, it's unlikely that anyone will show up at your school and arrest you.
Just be aware that when you copy anything from the Internet, that someone owns it...only material officially in the public domain can be copied legally.