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Internet Safety –
Overview and Discussion
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The Internet is a Great Tool
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The Internet is a great tool and can make your life easier and
more fun:
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It provides quick and easy access to educational resources: You
have unlimited access to checking the definition and spelling of
words and access to online education and degree programs.
Communicating with friends and families is fun: You can keep
in touch with all your friends and family members from around
the world via e-mail, using instant messenger or Skype and
Google Hangouts.
Searching for information and entertainment is easy: You can
find an answer to any questions you may have and you can use the
Internet to play fun games and watch movies and football games.
Online banking is at the tip of your fingers: You can transfer
money online and send remittances to loved ones.
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Staying Safe Online
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While the Internet is a great resource, it is also important to stay
safe. This presentation provides some helpful tips on how to be
safe on the Internet. We will discuss safety tips on the following
topics:
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Communicating Online
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Sharing Personal Information
Using E-mail
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Downloading Files and Software
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Information on the Web
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Frauds and Scams
Sexually Explicit and/or Violent Content
Teaching your Children about Internet Safety
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Communicating Online Personal Information
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Information sharing online has many great aspects – it is how we get to
know one another. But when sharing information online always be aware
and careful with whom you share information.
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Always keep in mind that once information is out on the web, it is hard to
get it back.
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Some information that you will want to be careful about giving out to
anyone is the following:
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Your full name
Your gender and age
Your home address or current location
Password information
Phone numbers
Financial information
Photographs
Personal information about other people including your family and friends
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Communicating Online Using E-mail
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Here are some helpful tips when communicating via e-mail
and setting up an e-mail account:
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When setting up an e-mail address try to pick a username that
does not give away too much personal information
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Never share passwords and financial information via e-mail
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You are never obligated to reply to an e-mail and if an e-mail
makes you feel uncomfortable you can delete it, report it as spam
and block the sender
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Using E-mail and Identifying
Scams
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Be skeptical about e-mails that ask you for money or that
ask you to verify personal information – this is likely a
phishing scam (419 scam)
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Be careful when entering your e-mail addresses to sites
and pop-up windows that offer prizes; these companies
sometimes sell your e-mail address and you will receive
more spam in your inbox
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Downloading Files and Software
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Be careful about downloading files from e-mail attachments
and websites:
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These files can some times contain malware such as viruses that
may affect the computer system
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Only open e-mail attachments from senders that you know and
are familiar with
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Try to download files and software you find on the web from
legitimate providers and open-source websites to avoid
downloading spyware or other malware
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Scams and Questionable Information
Online
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While the Internet is a great portal to unlimited information
sharing, not all information posted on the web may be truthful or
accurate
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It is important to question where information you read on the
web comes from. If the information is found on a legitimate
website such as an Encyclopedia, a news sites sponsored by
known institutions, then the information can likely be trusted;
otherwise use good judgment
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Be careful about pop-ups that promise prizes and money or that
claim you have won something – these are likely scams and you
should not provide personal information to these sites
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People that you meet online may not be who they say they are.
Always use good judgment and try not to give out very personal
information to people you have only met online
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Sexually Explicit and/or Violent
Content
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The Internet contains a wider variety of information, including information
that can sometimes be emotionally harmful and disturbing to younger users
and children, such as websites containing sexually explicit or very violent
content
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There may also be sexual predators in chat rooms that can potentially be
harmful to children. These predators introduce children to sexually explicit
material and engage them in inappropriate sexual discussions and activities
online
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It is crucial to be very open with your children about their activity and what
and whom they encounter online – the first step is always to have good
communication with your children about what goes on online so that they
feel comfortable sharing anything they encounter online with you
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Adults and parents should keep a watchful eye on what information and
material young children are exposed to when using the Internet; the next
slides summarize a few approaches to protect children from sexually explicit
and violent content on the Internet
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Protecting Your Children Online
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There are numerous ways to protect your children on the
Internet. Some approaches include:
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Implementing parental controls
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Blocking
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Filtering
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Monitoring
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Most importantly: Talk to your children and educate them about
safe internet use with the SMART concept
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Parental Controls
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Web browsers often have the option to activate parental
control settings
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They can be used to filter out inappropriate content such as
sexually explicit material or violent content
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These parental controls can also be used to monitor activities
online
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The main categories of parental controls are:
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1. Blocking
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2. Filtering
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3. Monitoring
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1. Blocking
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Blocking software denies users the access to specific
websites, once the users tries to type in that website.
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This type of software can be purchased for a small fee and
these programs allow web addresses to be added to a list of
blocked sites.
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2. Filtering
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Filtering programs prevent access to certain websites based
on search terms that include certain words and phrases.
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The downside of filtering is that some content may still slip
through even when the filter is on and sometimes harmless
sites are filtered out unintentionally.
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3. Monitoring
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Monitoring software can be installed on the computer to
track activity on the web and keep a record of certain
websites that have been accessed.
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This can help parents keep track of the activities and sites
their children engage with and visit on the web.
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Teaching and Talking to Your
Children about Internet Safety
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The most important thing you can do to protect your children
online is to talk to them about their activities online
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The next slides cover the SMART concept, which you can use
as a starting point to talk to your children about Internet
Safety
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A Brief Introduction to Internet Safety
for Children
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The next few slides cover 5 important tips that you can teach
to the younger Hello World users
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These 5 tips are part of the SMART concept:
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for Safe
Stay safe by not sharing personal information with people,
especially strangers, you are chatting with online.
Personal information includes:
-Your name
-Your e-mail
-Your home address
-The name of your school
-Your telephone number
-Photos of yourself
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for Meeting
Meeting someone you have only been communicating with over
the internet can be dangerous.
Only meet someone you have communicated with online with
the permission of your parents or teacher and only if your parent
or teacher can be present during the meeting.
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for Accepting
Accepting e-mails, text, IM chats, attachments or photos from
people you don’t know or trust can lead to problems.
You should not open these files -they can contain viruses or mean
messages and always ask an adult for help.
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for Reliable
Not all the information you find on the internet is true. People
online may be lying about who they are and some websites may
contain false information.
Always ask an adult if any information makes you feel
uncomfortable and do have discussions about information you find
on internet websites with your friends and teachers.
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for Tell
Always tell your parents, your teachers or a trusted adult if
anything you come across online makes you feel uncomfortable
or worried.
Also watch out for your friends and tell a trusted adult when you
feel that a friend is feeling uncomfortable or being bullied.
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Discussion
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What are you most excited about?
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What do you think you will use the Internet for?
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What are your concerns about using the Internet?
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What are your concerns about your children using the
Internet?
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How do you think the Community can best protect children
from harmful or disturbing material online?
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What level of filtering and monitoring (if any) do you think
the Hello World terminal should have for its users?
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Thank you!
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Please check the Internet Safety tab on the Hello World Hub
for more information and useful resources on Internet Safety.