Posts from — December 2008

While installing surveillance cameras in a room would be a really far-fetched idea, it would seem advisable that you can somehow monitor what your children do on the internet. Therefore, you need to find the valid tools and processes that will ensure your child is protected against any internet attack.
While the best idea to monitor your children would be to sit next to them and watch them, sometimes constant surveillance is not possible. Therefore, you need to keep the internet connection somewhere at reach so that you can access it whenever you want to. Also, the computer needs to be located in a room different from that of the children, because otherwise they might be tempted to enter in the computer too often.
For smaller children, aged from two to ten years old, it is always advisable to be there with them when they are accessing the internet. Since this vast domain encompasses a lot of risks and there is a lot of gibber lurking around it, it is important that you know how to select only what is the most important fort your child and then make the browsing through the internet a valuable activity.
Another possibility would be to make sure that if you have a teenager or pre-teenager, then it would be best to instill some other rules. You need to keep constant checks on the web history that your computer can store and also know how to master the Hosts file from the computer so that you can keep blocking out content. Therefore, using browsers as well as filtering software such as the ChildLock, Bsafe Online, Mcaffee Internet Security, Cyber Snoop or Net mop, you will ensure that you are protected against online attacks.
As parent, you are also expected to instill in your child the feeling of responsibility and value of privacy. You need to openly discuss with your child topics such as health or sexuality without delving into the other extreme. Router with internet filtering abilities can also be a solution to your security problems. Therefore, you need to know the way of being able to block out content.
While hardware and software are good tools in helping parent’s monitoring kids online activities, they are no substitute to teaching your children internet safety tips

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Holiday breaks are a great time for kids to experience new things, grow in new directions, and have fun with the family. With spring break and summer vacation just around the corner, have you ever wondered how you could make this your child’s best vacation yet? Read the seven tips below to turn a good break into a great one!
Tip 1: Create a Road Map Together
Find out from your child what their ideal summer would look like. Their immediate response might be something like play video games all day or go to pool, but stay open to their ideas. Including them in this process is important. Hear them out and ask questions that encourage dreaming big. After listening, figure out how to create a plan that works for both of you. For example, maybe the all day of video games isn’t acceptable to you, but you both agree that finding a part-time job and also having time to play games works. Get creative with this and have fun thinking of new things to do together.
Tip 2: Talk About Summer Expectations
Since schedules are often less structured during summer, it’s important for both you and your child to get clear about household expectations for summer. Think about it from different perspectives from what is expected around bed time, friends, school work, activities, household chores, etc… Decide what is most important to you but also try to collaborate some with your son or daughter so they feel part of the process. For example, is there a certain bed time or curfew? Maybe there is some leeway on weekends or holidays? Are there certain rules about having friends in the house? Are there new chores for the summer? Finally, have a discussion about why certain rules are important to you and how they help make things easier or safer on everyone.
Tip 3: Monitor Internet Activities.
Internet safety and teens have received a lot of media attention lately and so many parents still feel their child is immune to any foul play. But, problems surrounding the internet can happen to anyone. Be alert to what your child is doing online. A great way to do this is to google your child’s name to see what you find. You can also set up a google alert that will tell you when your child’s name appears on line. To find out more about this important topic, there are many organizations online that discuss specific internet safety tips for parents.
Tip 4: Have a Blast!
Summer is supposed to be fun. Try to think of a few new things you can do as a family or your son or daughter can try on their own. Visit a new park, have a picnic dinner, go somewhere like the City Museum or Botanical Gardens and explore new sites. Ask your child for their input. You might even come up with a new tradition of pancake Saturdays or a unique game night. Have everyone make a list of the top ten fun things they want to do this summer and see if you can do at least five of them.
Tip 5: Be Familiar With Their Friends
Friendships and the social scene are a key part of a teen’s every day life. Friends are usually who your child will look to for support and guidance. They are often one of the biggest influences on decisions they will make. Summer might be a time of making new friends or hanging out with old ones. Whatever the case, make sure you know what’s going in their social life. If there are any drastic changes in their behavior or who they are hanging out with, this could be an indicator of serious change in their social scene for better or worse. Make sure you watch to make sure they are safe.
Tip 6: Make Learning Fun
Summer doesn’t have to be a time where learning stops, but it doesn’t have to be the same format as school either. Talk to your child’s teacher about summer ideas to make learning fun for your child’s learning style. Maybe you all read a book together or share ideas from different ones you are each reading. Other times incorporating family trips, experiences, or various types of outdoor exploration are a great way to integrate important learning skills.
Tip 7: Make a back to school plan
Just as planning for break is important so is taking a little time to plan for the return to school. This is a critical and often overlooked step. About 3-4 weeks before school starts again, start talking to your child about school. This doesn’t have to be an everyday thing, but try to assess their feelings the new year. Are they going to a new school? Is it a transition to High School for the first time? Be sensitive to their anxiety levels. Think about the different ways your child will need to adapt from buying and purchasing supplies to adjusting to different sleep and wake up schedules. This is also a great time to look ahead to the new school year and think about new opportunities or goals to work towards.
Carrie is the founder of the GirlsWithDreams.com website and author of “The Powder Box Secrets – 7 Tips to Help Teen Girls Achieve Success.” You can check out her website for fresh new content, like the Does he like me quiz!

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Recent headlines are shocking and horrifying parent’s young adults are getting sucked into the mySpace trend and forgetting the “Don’t take Candy from Strangers” rule that has been instilled in their minds since kindergarten. Teens are disappearing because they are careless, and theres not much adults can do about it. At a time when every abduction story is more tragic than the last, it is important to remember some simple steps to create a secure account on mySpace and similar sites.
The mySpace frenzy began a few years ago and has recently exploded in popularity. On this site,mySpace.com, users sign up for a free online profile to network with friends. Each profile has space for the user to upload 12 pictures, list favorite musicians and movies, and keep a blog. In addition, people who are friends with the user can leave comments. When signing up, mySpace provides a questionnaire for users to fill out age, location, relationship status, income, and much more. Although users can choose to fill out as little or as much of this as they want, most users simply complete the entire questionnaire in hopes that it will attract more friends.
After all, the goal of many mySpacers is to attract friends (other users on the site who find their profile attractive). This may be a real-life friend from school or someone thousands of miles away who found you randomly when surfing the site. Countless website outside of the mySpace community are devoted to layouts, icons, and special features users can add to their sites to make it shine and lure more of these random friends.
The danger comes when teens get so caught up with drawing in new friends that they start adding more and more personal information to their profiles. It is also popular for younger users to lie about age, since mySpace users are technically supposed to be 16. Officials from mySpace, which has millions of users in its network and is growing larger every day, simply can’t traffic the entire site for kids who are blatantly lying.
And along with a more grown-up age comes more grown-up pictures. Girls as young as 13 and 14 are taking provocative pictures to entice boys to their sites a seemingly harmless practice that is actually very dangers. mySpace is becoming a marketplace for child predators who simply take advantage of the free service to find a new victim.
MySpace was never intended to be a teenage dating service, and its advantages still outweigh the disadvantages. For example, high school friends can use mySpace to keep in touch during college. New and upcoming bands can make a music page to promote their latest CDs and reach fans from around the world. Businesses can network to find better employees, and freelance artists can collaborate with one another. In short, mySpace has many advantages.
There are many things users can do to keep themselves away from dangerous predators. As more parents are cracking down on the use of social networking, sites like mySpace are becoming safer, not because the program has changed, but because their users are educated. The following tips should be used to ensure your profile is guarded from would-be abductors:
1. Set your profile to “private.” This feature on mySpace only allows other users to see your first picture, username, and location if they want to see more, you have to grant them permission by accepting them as a friend. This is inconvenient for users who want to network, but a good choice for you if you simply want to keep in touch with a few friends. Remember that your profile is private for a reason. You can list as much personal information on a private profile as you want, but then don’t turn around and accept people you don’t know as your friends.
2. Keep your location broad. Some users say they’re from a specific country; others feel OK listing a certain state. Even a large city, such as New York or Chicago, might be fine. However, never give out your street address unless your profile is set to private. Phone numbers are also a no-no.
3. Be selective with your photographs. When you’re a young adult with the opportunity to post 12 pictures online for free, you grab that chance to put up snapshots of you and your best friends. Be careful. If you’re pictured seductively or doing risky behavior such as drinking alcohol, predators might see you as an easy target. Also, take notice of the background in your photographs. It doesn’t matter that you don’t list your location if theres a road sign in the background of one of your pictures that gives it away.
4. Watch the details. Be careful with how you use your free space. For example, school spirit is a great thing, but when you cheer on your team, you give predators an idea about where to find you. Other things to consider before you post: clubs/restaurants/bars that are unique to your hometown, listing local bands among your favorite musicians, and giving out names of friends and family members in your blog or as picture captions.
5. Stay on a first-name basis. Giving out your full name might not seem like such a big risk, but web-savvy users can find out information about you this way on sites other than mySpace. Government records and other pieces of information are posted on Internet databases for people to use for a subscription price, and some predators will stop at no cost to find you.
6. Say no to Trackers. One of the more recent crazes on mySpace has been; profile trackers. These tools are installed on your computer to show you who has been looking at your profile. It’s a nifty device, but it comes for a price while the program is spying on your friends, it is also spying on you. Not all of these programs are bad, but many install spyware onto your computer as you download them, putting you at risk for identity theft. Unless you know a lot about computer programming and can pick out the bad trackers, stay away from them altogether.
7. Talk to your friends. If you want to keep your profile safe, you have to encourage others to do so as well. Just as friends can easily network, so can the bad guys if your best friend gives out her street address, it won’t be hard to put two and two together and figure out where you live as well.
MySpace is inarguably a valuable tool and a great way to have fun chatting with people from around the world. The important thing is to use common sense the Internet isn’t as secure or safe as many people imagine. A good rule of thumb: if you wouldn’t give out the information to someone you just met at a club, don’t give it out online either. Spread the word’s time to make mySpace a safe space.
Is your child’s safety worth 5 minutes of your time? We have created the OSA Agreement to open the lines of communications and limit internet access, to inquiring little minds. For your Free Agreement, join thousands of other concerned parents and download it at: http://www.onlinesecurityauthority.com/ and click on the OSA Agreement, link at the top of the page. Your child’s safety is a click away.
Bill Wardell Is the Senior Editor/Creator/Developer of Online Security Authority, the Author of “Don’t Take Candy From Strangers” and a Authority Site Center Certified Coach. Speaker and Radio Show Host, Publisher, Researcher and National Radio Guest! How do I block mySpace and similar websites?
Resource links are here: http://www.onlinesecurityauthority.com/?page_id=35

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Internet Bullying or Cyber Bullying is just one part of the growing problems that youth are creating for themselves and others. There are other cyber crimes that are now taking place, and one in particular that you may want to be more aware of is Happy Slapping. One of the first incidents of Happy Slapping occurred in 2004, in London.
Happy Slapping is when an individual is struck by another person or gang of individuals and subsequently video taped or photographed while the beating is taking place. These photos and videos are then circulated by cell phone and/or uploaded and circulated over the internet.
This form of assault is gaining momentum, and we are seeing more and more victims. This form of assault is not only dangerous, but, by putting it on the internet, it becomes available for anyone and everyone forever. This kind of harassment lives online forever.
Happy Slapping occurs in many different places such as school property, parks, and many other places. Happy Slapping is not a harmless act, it is a very serious issue. Perpetrators can be prosecuted for more than one offense.
Anyone who is assaulted in this way should contact local authorities including: the police, school officials, etc.
So, my belief is we have to start the education process, by teaching our children that bullying is bullying no matter where it takes place (online/offline) and that abuse is abuse and just like any form a of abuse, the first course of action that needs to be done, is to report it!
Children need to know they can talk to their parents about these kinds of problems and that parents will do the right thing! Because in this day and age problems are not handled they we used to deal with them starting with respect and tack, in this day and age of no respect we have tell children it is OK to talk to parents about issues such bullying!
There are not many resources available for the topic of cyberbulling online, typing in this search leaves little to be learned or find out how to protect our kids.
Children are being led to believe that they can hide behind their wireless connections and not have any consequence for their actions! The level of pain that someone feels when they are bullied is real and hurts more because they’re more hateful and hurtful, when they are not right there in person!
It’s like writing a letter or email or using a cellphone call that adults do all the time, they will say things they would never say in person. Kids learn by Example, and generation’s of this kind of learning is not going way until each parent sits down and starts teaching their children, what’s right and what’s wrong.
I have tried over the last few months I have added more resources on our main site, you can start there to learn more what is going in the real world of cyberbullying! I also have a video online that shows this problem and how it’s escalating click the OSA links to see it!
Is your child’s safety worth 5 minutes of your time? We have created the OSA Agreement to open the lines of communications and limit internet access, to inquiring little minds. For your Free Agreement, join thousands of other concerned parents and download it at: http://www.onlinesecurityauthority.com/ and click on the OSA Agreement, link at the top of the page. Your child’s safety is a click away.
Bill Wardell Is the Senior Editor/Creator/Developer of Online Security Authority, the Author of “Don’t Take Candy From Strangers” and a Authority Site Center Certified Coach. Speaker and Radio Show Host, Publisher, Researcher and National Radio Guest! How do I block mySpace and similar websites? Resource links are here:
http://www.onlinesecurityauthority.com/?page_id=35

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Imagine living in a world where you could be track by the pair of shoes that you just purchased at Wal-Mart or by a sweater that you just purchased at the Gap. Without your knowledge, the product you purchased just might be carrying a chip the size of a flake of pepper. These chips are known as RFID (Radio Frequency Identity Chips) and they could be heading to a supermarket near you.
RFID, is a controversial technology that uses tiny microchips to track items from a distance. These chips have been given the name “spy chips” as each of these chips contain a unique identification number. It allows for things such as a Social Insurance number to be read silently and undetected by radio waves. These chips can be placed just about anywhere. From clothing tags to missiles and to pet tags to the food that we eat, anywhere that a unique identification system is needed or required. Essentially, these tags can carry simple information such as a pet owners name and address or the cleaning instructions on a sweater.
RFID, tags on the whole, are a very useful and from a technology point of view, a very intriguing idea. These tags allow retailers to reduce inventory as well as reducing the number of thefts. They are also very useful in automobile assembly plants. They are used to move cars through an assembly line and at each stage of production the RFID tag tells the computer what the next stage of production should be.
In theory these chips are a great idea, but as consumers we have a right to know whether or not the item that we have just purchased has a RFID tag. Retailers need to provide the consumer with information that the product that they just purchased contains one of these RFID tags. Once the product leaves the store product is no longer a part of the inventory and therefore the RFID tag should somehow be disabled. One could only imagine the danger these tags presented if they were to stay active once they left the store. The individual who just purchased that product could potentially be tracked to their home and it is at this point that a persons privacy becomes the main issue. Sure these tags are a great idea but where do we draw the line between efficiency and someone’s privacy.
The RFID tags at this point are not ready for mass consumer production and at present are not on many of the products that we purchase. There are companies however that would like to start using these chips in the near future. If companies are going to use these tags to keep track of their products, they should be placed in plain site of the consumer so that they know exactly what they are looking at. Companies should also consider putting these tags on the packaging of the product rather than the product itself. Be sure to check out the “Hot Tips” section for just a few of the companies that are listed as sponsors the RFID technology.
There is no doubt that the face of technology is constantly changing. We have a world of information at our fingertips that we didn’t have 10 to 20 years ago. These RFID tags are all well and good, however, when our privacy is put into question, we really need to sit back and take a second look. Besides, does the whole world really need to know what is going on in our lives.
Is your child’s safety worth 5 minutes of your time? We have created the OSA Agreement to open the lines of communications and limit internet access, to inquiring little minds. For your Free Agreement, join thousands of other concerned parents and download it at:
http://www.onlinesecurityauthority.com/ and click on the OSA Agreement, link at the top of the page. Your child’s safety is a click away.
Bill Wardell Is the Senior Editor/Creator/Developer of Online Security Authority, the Author of “Don’t Take Candy From Strangers” and a Authority Site Center Certified Coach. Speaker and Radio Show Host, Publisher, Researcher and National Radio Guest! Hear what is happening in the world of RFID, and listen to our radio interview with Dr. Katherine Albrecht Founder and Director, CASPIAN Consumer Privacy:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hostpage.aspx?show_id=16331

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

You can find just about anything on eBay these day’s a random browse brings CDs, clothing, cars, and skin to your computer screen. That’s right, I said skin. One man recently auctioned patches of his body to advertising companies, who tattooed their logos on to him. EBay isn’t the only site for surfers bit by the auction bug. There are literally hundreds of sites on the web where you can sell your useless crap and use the money to buy someone elses useless crap. It’s a flea market if I ever saw one-just online. And hey, it’s not all junk. You can find some great deals on auctions sites.
One problem: People are getting scammed, which turns them off to these types of sites altogether. Of course, security is bound to be an issue whenever the Internet and money are involved, but with online auctions, individuals are in control, not corporations who are more trustworthy with business transactions. 99 times out of 100, the relationship between auctioneer and buyer will go smoothly, but just in case, here’s the top five ways users will scam you. Don’t become that minority who walks away from a deal having lost both money and item.
1. Phony Users. I don’t know what the reason is behind it, but some users will bid on items when they never have any intention of purchasing it. Your auction will be over, and the user will cancel his auction membership and disappear-and there’s not much you can do to stop him. Most auction sites charge a fee to sell items, so not only do you still have the unwanted item on your hands, but you also have lost money trying to sell it.
One way to prevent this from happening is to closely keep track of you auction. When the auction closes, take note of the second and third runners up. That way, if the winner bails on you, you can contact the others to see if they are still interested in purchasing the item from you. At some sites, you also have the option of only accepting bids from confirmed users-these are bidders who have either won and paid for items in the past or who have their own auctioneer’s account set up with the site. Check the guidelines, because every site is a little different on their definition of “confirmed buyer.”
2. Stolen Credit Cards. If you own a business and choose to accept credit cards, be careful about how you do this online. When a user pays with a stolen credit card, it may take a few days for the rightful owner to realize it’s one. Guess what? You won’t get the money for your item, which is already in the mail-as good as gone.
Credit card payments are tricky, and I don’t recommend using them unless you own a business with an online website that has credit card payments available. If not, call the credit card company. The name and address that the user provided for shipping should be the same name and address on the card. Companies are glad to check their records for you-it saves them time and money when their cards are stolen. If it doesn’t match up, decline the card and ask for payment in another way.
3. Shipping and Receiving Scoundrels. Whether you’re the buyer or seller, you should be cautious about the exchange of money and goods. Users can easily take your money or item and disappear without sending you what you’re due.
In most conditions, it is the buyer’s responsibility to send payment first. If you’re using a personal check to pay for an item, date the check two weeks from the day you send it. That way, if the seller never sends the item, you can cancel your check before its cashed. The best choice, especially for larger items, is to use an escrow service. These companies act as a go-between for buyers and sellers.
Check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Reports before selecting a service to make sure they aren’t scamming both buyer and seller by disappearing with the item and the money, both at once.
4. Check Bouncers. As with stolen credit cards, buyers can easily scam sellers by sending them checks that are no good. You receive the payment and mail the item, but when you go to cash the check, you find out that it is worthless. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot-use a third party service instead.
Third party payment services, the most popular of which is paypal, allow people to create free online accounts to transfer money. Using a bank account or credit card, you can send and receive money almost instantly, which prevents users from stealing your stuff. This is the best option for payment after an online auction.
5. Identity Thieves. As with any online service, you need to be very careful with your personal information to prevent identity theft. These crooks are getting very sneaky, often the e-mails or messages you receive from them look and sound very official. As people are getting more web-savvy, so are cyber criminals.
Use a well-known auction site that you trust. These sites should never ask for information like your social security number. Most of the time they won’t be the ones trying to scam you. Other users will use their company name to send e-mails demanding such information. If you get something in your inbox that looks fishy, forward it to the company or give them a call, and professionals there can tell you if it’s legit. These sites will also never ask for your user name and password in an e-mail, so beware of claims that this information is needed.
Use common sense. The information you share online should be limited and you should always take preventative measures to protect yourself. Sites are only as secure as their users, so if you get scammed, most times you only have yourself to blame. Before signing up with any auction site, check their policies. Knowledge is the key to keeping your online transactions protected so that you can buy and sell all the personal property, goods and services you want. Before long, that green and orange polka-dotted couch will be yours.
Is your child’s safety worth 5 minutes of your time? We have created the OSA Agreement to open the lines of communications and limit internet access, to inquiring little minds. For your Free Agreement, join thousands of other concerned parents and download it at: http://www.onlinesecurityauthority.com/ and click on the OSA Agreement, link at the top of the page. Your child’s safety is a click away.
Bill Wardell Is the Senior Editor/Creator/Developer of Online Security Authority, the Author of “Don’t Take Candy From Strangers” and a Authority Site Center Certified Coach. Speaker and Radio Show Host, Publisher, Researcher and National Radio Guest! To Get more Information about ID theft and Online Scams, click here: http://www.idtheft.onlinesecurityauthority.com/

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

When children use the Internet and internet communication tools such as chat rooms, e-mail, and instant messaging they risk possible interaction with online predators. The anonymity of the Internet means that trust and intimacy can develop quickly online, especially for trusting children and teenagers. Predators take advantage of this anonymity to build online relationships with inexperienced young people. In order to help protect your children, you need to be are aware of the risks related to online communication. If you’re involved in your kids’ Internet activities knowing the risks is much easier.
Continue reading to get answers to your questions about how online predators work, who is at risk of being victimized by online predators, and how you can help to reduce the risk of your child becoming a target.
How Do Online Predators Attack?
Predators establish contact with children through conversations in chat rooms, instant messaging, e-mail, discussion/bulletin boards and social networking sites. Many teens use peer support through online forums to deal with their problems, and predators often go to these online areas to look for vulnerable victims.
How Do Online Predators Seduce their Victims?
Online predators try to gradually seduce their targets through attention, affection, kindness, and even gifts, and often devote considerable time, money, and energy to this effort.
They’re aware of the latest music and hobbies likely to interest kids.
They listen to and sympathize with kids’ problems.
To try to ease young people’s inhibitions, they gradually introduce sexual content into their conversation or show sexually explicit material.
Some predators work faster than others and engage in sexually explicit conversations immediately. This more direct approach may include harassment or the predator might stalk the victim. Predators might also evaluate the children they meet online for future face-to-face contact.
Which Children Are at Risk?
Young adolescents are the most vulnerable age group and are at high risk from online predators. Young adolescents tend to explore their sexuality, move away from parental control, and look for new relationships outside the family. Under the guise of anonymity, they are more likely to take risks online even if they don’t fully understand the possible implications.
The Children or Adolescents who are the most Vulnerable to online predators tend to be:
new to online activity and unfamiliar with netiquette
aggressive computer users
the type to try new, edgy activities in life
actively seeking attention or affection
rebellious
isolated or lonely
curious
confused regarding sexual identity
easily tricked by adults
attracted by subcultures apart from their parents’ world
Most children feel that they are aware of the dangers that lurk online, but in reality, they are quite naive especially when it comes to online relationships.
How Can Parents Minimize the Risk of their Child becoming a Victim?
Talk to your kids about sexual predators and potential online dangers.
Young children should not use chat rooms the dangers are too great. As children get older, direct them towards well-monitored kids’ chat rooms. Encourage even your teens to use monitored chat rooms.
If your children take part in chat rooms, make sure you know which ones they visit and with whom they talk. Monitor the chat areas yourself to see what kind of conversations take place.
Instruct your children to never leave the chat room’s public area. Many chat rooms offer private areas where users can have one-on-one chats with other users chat monitors can’t read these conversations. These are often referred to as “whisper” areas.
Keep the Internet-connected computer in a common area of the house, never in a child’s bedroom. It is much more difficult for a predator to establish a relationship with your child if the computer screen is easily visible. Even when the computer is in a public area of your home, sit with your child when he is online.
When your children are young, they should share the family e-mail address rather than have their own e-mail accounts. As they get older, you can ask your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to set up a separate e-mail address, but your children’s mail can still reside in your account.
Tell your children to never respond to instant messaging or e-mails from strangers. If your children use computers in places outside your supervision public library, school, or friends’ homes find out what computer safeguards are used.
If all precautions fail and your kids do meet an online predator, don’t blame them. The offender always bears full responsibility. Take decisive action to stop your child from any further contact with this person.
How Can I Reduce the Risk of my Child Being Victimized?
There are a number of precautions that children can take, which include:
Never download images from an unknown source they could be sexually explicit.
Use e-mail filters.
Tell an adult immediately if anything that happens online makes a child feel uncomfortable or frightened.
Choose a gender-neutral screen name that doesn’t contain sexually suggestive words or reveal personal information.
Never reveal personal information about themselves (including age and gender) or information about their family to anyone online; never fill out online personal profiles.
Stop any e-mail communication, instant messaging conversations, or chats if anyone starts to ask questions that are too personal or sexually suggestive.
Post the family online agreement near the computer to remind children to protect their privacy on the Internet.
How Do I Know if My Child is Being Targeted?
It’s possible that your child is the target of an online predator if:
Your child or teen spends a great deal of time online. Most children who are victims of online predators spend a lot of time online, particularly in chat rooms, and may close the doors to their rooms and be secretive about what they do when they go work on their computer.
You find pornography on the family computer. Predators often use pornography to sexually victimize children predators can supply things such as Web sites, photos, and sexual e-mail messages as a way to open sexual discussions with potential victims. Predators might use photos of child pornography to convince a child that it is normal for adults to have sex with children. You should be aware that your child may hide pornographic files on disks, especially if other family members use the computer.
Your child or teen receives phone calls from people you don’t know, or makes calls (sometimes long distance) to numbers you don’t recognize. After a predator establishes contact with your child online, some online predators might try to contact young people to engage in phone sex or to try to set up a real-world, face-to-face meeting. If children hesitate to give out their home phone number, online sex offenders will provide theirs. Some even have toll-free 1-800 numbers, so potential victims can call them without their parents’ knowledge. Others will tell children to call collect and then, with Caller ID or Call Display, the predators can easily determine the child’s phone number. Do not allow your child to meet a stranger they have met online, in person, without your supervision.
Your child or teen receives mail, gifts, or packages from someone you don’t know. It’s common for offenders to send letters, photographs, and gifts to potential victims. Online sex offenders even send airline tickets to entice a child or teen to meet them in person.
Your child or teen withdraws from family and friends, or quickly turns the computer monitor off or changes the screen if an adult enters the room. Online predators work hard to drive wedges between kids and their families and often exaggerate minor problems at home. Sexually victimized children tend to become withdrawn and depressed.
Your child is using someone else’s online account. Even kids who don’t have access to the Internet at home might meet an offender while online at a friend’s house or at another public place, even the library. Predators sometimes provide victims with a computer account so they can communicate.
What Can You do if Your Child is Targeted?
If your child receives sexually explicit photos from an online correspondent, or if she or he is solicited sexually in e-mail, instant messaging, or some other way online, contact your local police. Save any documentation including e-mail addresses, Web site addresses, and chat logs to share with the police.
Check your computer for pornographic files or any type of sexual communication these are often warning signs.
Monitor your child’s access to all live electronic communications, such as chat rooms, instant messaging, and e-mail. Online predators usually meet potential victims in chat rooms at first, and then continue communicating with them through e-mail or instant messaging.
Is your child’s safety worth 5 minutes of your time? We have created the OSA Agreement to open the lines of communications and limit internet access, to inquiring little minds. For your Free Agreement join thousands of other concerned parents and download it at http://onlinesecurityauthority.com/Your/Online-Security-Agreement.pdf Your child’s safety is a click away.
Bill Wardell the Senior Editor, Creator and Developer of Online Security Authority, the Author of “Don’t Take Candy From Strangers” NSM Director, ASC Certified Coach. Speaker and Radio Show Host, Publisher, Researcher and National Radio Guest! http://www.blog.onlinesecurityauthority.net/

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

I often hear about the brand new Google Chrome web browser and the upcoming Microsoft (or is it Windows?) Internet Explorer 8 and how great they are. One of their most important new features is supposedly their privacy mode or how they call it.
Great, “Finally we can get some privacy on the net” I hear you saying! Well, maybe. But not with those tools I am afraid. The term “privacy mode” is a bit misleading in my opinion. Not false marketing, it’s just important to know what it has been designed for and what is beyond its scope.
The privacy modes offered by those, as well as the other web browsers on the market, are good for one thing only. When the privacy mode is enabled, no traces are left in the operating system registry, no cookies and history is stored on the local PC.
So when you want to hide the fact that you have just visited that ton of porn webs from your wife or kids, it will do the job. That’s what it has been designed for – of course not just for the porn webs but we know the truth, right?
It can also mask the user-agent browser string pretending you are using a different web browser with a different preferred language. In my opinion, that’s just a feeble attempt at ensuring your anonymity.
So, is that real privacy?! It helps for sure. It’s great when you share your computer with someone else and I am not saying those are bad features. Far from that!
What I am afraid of, however, is that once those web browsers become widespread, many people, mostly those technically less savvy ones, will get that very dangerous false feeling of privacy and anonymity on the Internet.
They will think this way: “I just enable this great privacy mode and nobody will see what I am doing on the net, nobody will know where I am coming from, nobody will be able to steal my private data.”.
But this, my unknown Internet friend, this is not happening. You will need a bigger caliber for that. Much bigger!
About the author:
Are you concerned about who is spying on your Internet activity? Tomas France is an Internet security expert and owner of IdentityCloaker.com, a cost effective service that will protect your privacy from hackers, your boss, your competitors, and even your wife or husband. Visit IdentityCloaker.com when you are ready to take back your privacy and keep your surfing activity to yourself.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

When the web was in its infancy, the internet was a non entity for kids. Yet, in the last few years, television networks, advertisements, cartoon shows and especially friends all encourage kids to go websites for web games, web stickers, wallpaper and so on. With this explosion of the internet, here are some Tips for Safe Browsing for Kids.
-The best internet safety tips for parents that I can give is to limit your child’s use of a computer to a family computer in the living room so you can always keep an eye on what they are doing.
-Put a time limit on internet use just like a time limit for watching television.
-Surf the internet with your kids. See what sites they usually go on and what they have interest in.
-Remind your children not to enter any personal information such as their name, address, birthday, email etc on any website without your permission. Try to get them to understand a person on the internet is just like a “stranger” in real life.
-Tell you child that if he/she feels like they’re been threatened or “hurt” on the internet, they should tell you immediately.
- Make sure Internet Explorer history cache is set up. Go to Tools and then Internet Options. A good internet safety tip for kids is to set Internet Explorer to record the history of the websites that your child has been visiting. A week later you can go view the history and see what sites your kids have been visiting.
-If the history is empty however and you know you set IE to record the history, your kids might be deleting it to cover up their tracks.
-If you are unable to supervise your kid’s internet use or you worry that your kid might be deleting the history, you need to set up a separate and restricted internet account for your kids on the computer. Then you can install a child friendly browser for your children such as Buddy Browser. The separate and restricted accounts makes sure your child will not be able to install or surf without your own settings.
John Liu is a computer specialist.
Is your child surfing the internet using Internet Explorer or deleting the history files? If yes, they might not be surfing in a safe environment of the web! Learn how to fix these vulnerabilities at John’s site. Visit his site at http://internetsafetyblog.blogspot.com for easy to follow step by step instructions on how to completely safeguard your computer for your kids using a completely safe and kid proof browser.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Is your child safe on the Internet?
I had lunch a few days ago with a friend who’s a policewoman and is involved in working with and monitoring pedophiles. She’s only allowed to talk about this aspect of her work in the broadest terms but that was enough to scare me.
There have also been a number of television programs showing how easy it is for adults to pose as children and get information out of our children therefore let’s be concerned about child Internet safety.
It’s important that you learn how to keep your child safe. Educate your child and implement these 10 internet safety tips into your family’s life.
1. Keep your computer in a family area so that you can see what your children are doing on their computer and how they are using the Internet.
2. Encourage your child to share with you information as to who she is communicating and sharing information with on the Internet. Start chatting with your child as soon as she starts using a computer about what she’s doing this way it’s part of normal family life. and it’s easier to encourage her to be Internet safe.
3. Your child may be not only be using a computer at home but she may have access in a number of other locations as well. Know where these computers are and who is monitoring them so that you know your child’s safe when she uses the Internet. .
4. Keep yourself up to date with new innovations on the Internet and how children are using this technology. New programs are coming along all the time and if you don’t understand what these do you’re allowing your child to be at risk from people who do.
5. Make sure you keep all accounts in your name and that you don’t set passwords that are really easy for her guess. You don’t want her changing the parental controls and gaining access to stuff she shouldn’t. A child safety on the Internet is very important.
6. Let your children know what they can do online, its better to be positive about what they can do than to discourage your child by telling her what she can’t do. If you don’t feel something that she wants to do is completely safe either stop her doing it or only allow her to participate when you are with her.
7. Be genuinely interested in what your child is doing and encourage her to share her favorite sites with you. She will enjoy making you feel inept if you don’t understand and you will learn how to keep her Internet safe..
8. Get your child to make up fun non descriptive screen names for herself that won’t identify her in any way. Encourage her to keep using this name as long as she’s online.
9. Have child friendly search engines only available for your child to access under her name. Try to use these yourself especially when your child is around. You may have different controls set on yours.
10. Consider introducing filtering or monitoring software onto your computer. This child Internet safety software will allow you to preapprove the list of sites she is allowed access to.
And you can find out more about this software by clicking here
Make sure you know the rules for child internet safety and keep your child safe.
Maureen the English nanny with over 25 years of experience is concerned that you learn how to keep your child safe. http://www.rulesforinternetsafety.com

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/