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Internet Safety
Whether you are new to the internet or a seasoned veteran, Think
Computers Inc. is committed not only to your safety but for all who
access the Internet. While the Internet can be an amazing source of
information and wonderment, a place to communicate with fellow Netizens, a place to shop and explore, there are also many hidden
dangers. As in real life, things are not always what they
seem. Especially on the Internet. Pornography, money scams,
hate sites, stalkers, etc., can be just around the corner on the
next page you visit or the next chat room you or your children
happen to visit. The name of the game in internet safety is to be educated &
aware. If you have children, spend the time to educate them on
the wonderful things the internet has to offer as well as the
dangers that exist, and to develop a clear understanding about the
internet that "everything may not be as it seems".
In our commitment to helping you maintain
your safety and the safety of your family, we are pleased to offer
the following informational resources, and links. This information
should help to ensure that your Internet experience is safe and
enjoyable for the entire family.
General Internet Safety Tips
Keep all of your passwords private, even from close friends. Also,
make sure you change them from time to time. Us a combination
of alpha-numeric, upper & lower case characters at least 6
characters in length. Do not base passwords on family names,
birthdays or on dictionary based words.
Never use your real name when chatting or sending casual email. And,
never give out any personal information such as your address and
phone number.
Delete email attachments from unknown sources. Scan attachments
from known sources before opening them. They can contain destructive
viruses that may destroy your programs and data.
Make sure you have a virus protection program such as Trend Micro,
keep it updated on a regular basis. New viruses are introduced to
the Internet on a daily basis. Since viruses are commonly spread via
email, it is important that your virus protection program scan's
your email for viruses.
Be careful what information you transmit over the internet. Unless
you are on a secure site 128bit SSL encrypted, consider everything
else you send over the Internet as public information.
Be extremely careful if you ever decide to meet someone in person
that you met online. Not everyone out there is what they may make
themselves out to be. If you ever decide to, do meet in a
PUBLIC place where there are lots of other people present, have a
friend go with you, make sure you tell other's where you are going
and what time you will be back. Again NEVER give out
information such as phone numbers or where you live!
When making online purchases, never give out your credit card
information unless it is a secure site. If it is, the address in
your address bar will begin with https: and your browser your
browser should show a locked padlock icon. Unlocked or no icon means
that the site is not secure and you should not give a credit card
number or any other personal information. For more information,
simply click on the padlock. Make sure that it is a reputable site
that you are ordering from. If you are not sure look for their
contact information and contact the Better Business Bureau in their
area.
If it sounds too good to be true - it is! If you receive spam
(unsolicited email) that says you can make thousands of dollars in a
few days, IT IS NOT TRUE!. Your best bet is to delete these messages
immediately! Do not reply, this tells the person on the other end
that somebody is there and will actually encourage MORE spam.
If you believe that you are being stalked while online, log off
immediately! If you think you are being stalked off line,
report it to your local authorities. If someone has information
about your address and is sending you threatening emails, report it
to your local police. Chances are this will never happen to you, but
if it does, you are better safe than sorry do not hesitate to report
it!
Cyber Content Filters
There are a number of excellent programs that exist to help parents
manage their child's online experience. Tools include both hardware
solutions and software programs that provide a means to filter out
certain web sites or the content they provide. Below, we have
provided several links that contain useful filtering solutions, some
of which are free of charge.
Anti-Defamation League Hate Filter - Protects children by
blocking access to sites where individuals or groups that advocate
hatred, bigotry or violence towards groups on the basis of their
religion, race, or ethnicity.
Internet Filter Review 2005
Other Resources
CyberAngels
- An Internet safety organization sponsored by The International
Alliance of Guardian Angels. Helps patrol the internet to keep kids
and others safe.
GetNetWise
- The Internet offers kids many opportunities for learning,
constructive entertainment, and personal growth. At the same time,
parents are concerned about the risks kids face online. The
challenge for parents is to educate themselves and their children
about how to use the Internet safely. GetNetWise can help.
Child Specific Safety Tips
Keep your computer in a common "high-traffic" area of the house. It
is much easier for a child to be tempted when no one else around.
This will allow you to occasionally see what your children are
viewing or participating in on the Internet.
Keep an open dialog with your children where it involves the
Internet. Make it easy for them to come to you & talk if they
encounter something while online that makes them uncomfortable. Even
if they come across an uncomfortable situation purely by accident,
they may not want to tell you for fear you will restrict their use
of the Internet.
Monitor the amount of time your children are allowed to spend on the
Internet. The Internet can have an addictive effect on children as
well as adults and may keep your kids from participating in normal,
healthy social activities.
Make sure you and your family are all "Internet savvy". Your
children must understand that people online may not be who they say
they are. Anyone could be on the other end of a chat session luring
your child, all the while saying they are only a 12 or 13 year old
boy or girl.
Specifically instruct your children not to give out any personal
information such as your address, phone number, real name, or name
of the school they attend. Make sure you revisit this issue with
your children on a regular basis to insure they understand the
dangers.
Invest in good content filtering software or subscribe to an
Internet Service Provider that offers a filtering solution. NO
single filtering solution is 100% accurate, however most filtering
solutions do a very good job of blocking a large percentage of the
undesirable content on the Internet. Please visit this link
for help in making the right decision for your situation.
Internet
Filter Review 2005 |
