Personal online internet safety guidelines
Online Disclosure of Personal Information
1. Full name – use nicknames and partial names
2. Home address – do not give out personal address to individual on the web.
3. Phone number – a phone number can be used in a reverse search on the Internet to identify the addresses of an individual
4. Social security number – disclosure of social security numbers is not a good idea unless the website is secured. It could be used to steal financial and personal info.
5. Disclosure of passwords to anyone should be avoided. The greater the number of people w/ access to personal information, the greater the risk
a. The password should be at least 8 characters long
b. Use a combination of letters and numbers
c. Change the password every 1-2 months
d. Do not give out the password
e. Do not use birthdays, pets names, friends names, common words
6. Disclosure of the names of family members is not a good idea as well.
7. Credit card information should only be disclosed to trusted, verified, and secure sites that have security and encryption software.
8. Photos – are potential sources of risk because they are personal information. Photos can also be edited to falsify information, such as to make id cards
Social Networking and Online Chatting
9. Behave properly when online
Employers and college recruiters are frequently turning to online social networking sites to assess the behavior of potential employees
a. Inappropriate pictures and illegal behavior may be viewed by future employers and can prove fatal to one’s job potential
b. Your online reputation is valuable
10. Posting harmful information about someone on the Internet and especially on social networking sites is never a good idea
11. Safety guidelines and precautions
a. Avoid yelling (keying in all caps) when chatting online
b. Do no Bully- spreading malicious and false information. Ignore Bullies
c. If a situation escalates or a bully does not stop, contact school authorities and inform parents.
d. Never meet someone in person that you have met online only
Financial safeguards
12. Do not open emails or respond to sites that promise you will get rich quick or anything else that seems too good to be true. (phishing)
13. Do not give out credit information without parental permission and only when the site is certified as secure. (Encryption)
14. The URL of a secure site begins with https: - the “s” indicates a secure web site
15. An interactive lock is displayed on the site, usually in the bottom corner.
16. A seal is another indication of safety. If there is a seal, inspect it and make sure it is authentic.
17. Virus- a small piece of software that attaches to programs that are installed on a user’s pc. An email virus has the potential to auomatically mail itself to contacts. Trojan Horse Virus is a virus that disguises itself as real program or file
18. Spam- unwanted and unsolicited email advertisements or messages
19. Spyware- malicious software designed to take partial control of a computer’s operations without the consent of the user.
a. Some spyware intercepts and records passwords and credit card numbers
b. Tracks a user’s visits to different web sites to analyze their spending activity and forecast consumer behavior
