Internet Safety

Internet Safety: Surfing safe means surfing smart!

The Internet is a great tool and cruising through cyberspace can be a lot of fun! Instant Messanging, blogging, e-mail, web pages.... there are lots of things to see and do on-line. Using the Internet safely is easy when you think smart. Using these tips and your common sense will help keep you safe on-line. Tell parents about anything strange or unusual that happens while you are using the computer.

Personal Identification

Do you know who's visiting your web site? Criminals use the Internet to identify their targets. They collect their information from more than one source, so the more sites you enter personal informationon on, the easier it is for predators to find you. Blogs and personal web pages are a great place to post your opinions and experiences but often contain too much information about you.

Tip: Whether you're designing your own site or visiting someone else's, remember to never post or give out .......

photos of yourself
your home address or telephone number
information about the school you attend

Chat Rooms / Instant Messaging

Keeping in touch with your friends is important and IMing/chatrooms let you do that without tying up the phone. It is important to remember though that predators regularly monitor open chatrooms on Yahoo, ICQ and other chat programs. If you find yourself talking to strangers on the Internet, you are at rist. Remember , anyone can pretend to be someone else on-line!

Tips:

Always know who you are talking to
Don't chat or talk with strangers
Never agree to meet a stranger you've met on-line or give them your address/phone number
Report all unusual or uncomfortable events to your parents

Web Cams

Your Web Cam may be providing more information about you than you know! Predators often collect photos of children to share with others predators. These photos can spread quickly over the Internet and items in your room may even provide clues about who you are and where you live.

Tip: Never send photos of yourself to people you do not know.

File Sharing

Many students use Kazaa, Morpheus and other programs to share files and music. You can receive some nasty viruses and trojans from other users and may loose control of or damage your computer because of this.

Tip: To avoid this, do not accept files from people you do not know.

Email

Email messages can also have viruses so it is important to protect your computer by keeping an antivirus program running - don't forget to update it regularly!

Source: RCMP Technological Crime Unit