INTERNET SAFETY
The Internet is filled with places you should visit and many you should
avoid. You can use the internet to find out what the temperature is, do
research for a class, find a job, or research a college you are interested in.
Almost everything has a website.
The best internet tip is to use your common sense! You need to protect
yourself online. Here are some helpful tips to protect yourself and your
identity:
1.
Keep your information private!
Never give out any personal informa-
tion that can identify you. This includes your address, your full name, your
home or cell phone number, your social security number or credit card
numbers. Never post other people’s information either. You could be tar-
geted by thieves and people who are interested in stealing your identity.
2.
Maintain control over the information you post
.
You can restrict
access to your page to a select group of people (for example, your friends
from school, or your team or community group). Be careful about posting
information that could help someone identify you or find you offline. This
includes the name of your school, sports team, clubs and where you work
or hang out.
3.
Your screen name should not give too much information
.
Do not
use your name, your age, your school, or your hometown. You may think
your screen name makes you anonymous, but it does not take a detective
to use the clues to figure out who you are and where you can be found.
4.
Be careful about posting pictures of yourself
.
If you do, do not
post ones showing behavior you would not want your parents, employer,
teacher, or potential college advisors to see. Photos can also be altered or
reposted without your consent in a way you do not like.
5.
Do not send pictures of other people.
Sending embarrassing pictures
of someone else is a form of bullying and in certain cases against the law.
6.
Do not post personal information about yourself online.
There is no such thing as privacy online and most files can be found years
later. Nothing is ever forgotten or deleted from the Internet. It is the world’s
biggest information exchange. More people can see your information than
you want, including your parents, your teachers, your employer, the police
and strangers, some of whom could be dangerous. Teens have been
suspended and expelled from school, fired from jobs, and threatened with ar-
rest over the things they have posted online. People can find and keep what
you post forever.
Use your
common sense!
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