Educate your kids
• “Talk to Your Kids and Set Limits”

Be proactive
• Check to see whether people are impersonating your children. Search your children’s names online along with variations and nicknames. It’s a good practice to do this often.
• Review your children’s friends list—You may want to consider letting them only be friends with people they know offline
• Create your own profile and share the social networking experience with your kids

Use technology
• Use the privacy and safety setting options on social networking sites, such as private profiles, blocking and pre-approving comments to control who your children communicate with
• Have up-to-date computer security software to protect your computer from malware, viruses, spyware, and other threats
• Consider using software that lets you monitor your children’s online activities and helps protect them.

McAfee Social Networking Guide is avaiable at: http://mcaf.ee/l581v

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Invasion of privacy can happen easily if your children share their passwords, are not selective about who they add as a friend, or are not careful about what information or photos they post online. The level of visibility to friend lists, profiles, or photos varies from site to site, so it is wise to be aware of the privacy options on the sites your children use. The key to preventing invasion of privacy is to make sure your children are careful about what they share, who they share it with, and that they understand that nothing is private when it is posted online, no matter how many controls are in place.

Malicious impersonation occurs when someone pretends to be your child and does malicious things, like posting profanity or inappropriate images. The easiest way for someone to impersonate your child is to get your child’s password. Once someone has the password, they can post inappropriate material that looks like it is coming from your child.

Malicious impersonation can also occur when someone pretends to be someone other than who they really are and interacts with your child online. The case of the cyberbullying mother described in Lesson 3 illustrates how malicious impersonation of this type can have unfortunate consequences. Also, online predators often “friend” teens online and misrepresent themselves as peers to lure their victims into a sexual encounter.

Identity theft and phishing scams are becoming more and more commonplace on social networking sites where so much personal information is available to hackers. Phishing scams are attempts to trick you into giving up personal information, including passwords, social security numbers, and credit cards numbers, through phony requests or solicitations that appear to come from legitimate sources. Identity thieves who have gotten their hands on members’ passwords not only gain access to their profiles, but also to their network of friends. It’s an easy way for identity thieves to use victims’ accounts to send phishing messages to large numbers of people in hopes that some of them fall for their scams and turn over confidential information.

McAfee Social Networking Guide is avaiable at: http://mcaf.ee/l581v

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Encourage Kids to Report Inappropriate Behavior

Encourage your kids to come to you for help when they are being cyberbullied or have encountered online predators.

Do your best to establish trust and make sure they are comfortable coming to you with their problems. If for any reason they are uncomfortable speaking with you, tell them to speak with a trusted adult — an aunt, uncle, teacher, or older sibling — to lend an ear.

Be sure your teen knows how to report abuse or inappropriate behavior to social networking sites. With Facebook, for example, they can send an email to abuse@facebook.com.

McAfee Social Networking Guide is available at: http://mcaf.ee/xzq1p

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Online Predators

An online predator is a criminal who generally targets teens with the goal of manipulating them into meeting for sex. Online predators typically “groom” their victims by building trust with the child through lying, the use of blackmail and guilt, creating different personas, and then attempting to engage the child in more intimate forms of communication, and eventual in-person meetings.

On social networking sites, online predators can use all these techniques to become friends with your children and try to engage with them. Online predators will also use information from your child’s profile to try and locate them in person. This is why it is critical for you and your kids to talk about appropriate online behavior and what type of information is okay to post online.

If your child becomes a victim of a cyberstalker or an online predator, here are some steps to follow:

1. Take immediate action
• Ignore contact from the bully or online predator or do not log on to the site where it occurred
• Block the offender’s screen name and email address to prevent them from contacting your child
• Change your child’s online information or, if necessary, delete the account
• Contact the site where this occurred to have your child’s information removed, and report the perpetrator
• Report this to your Internet service provider (ISP) and the offender’s ISP.

2. Report the incident to the authorities

3. Save the evidence
• Keep a log of all communications from the perpetrator
• Keep track of the offender’s screen name, email address, and ISP, if available

4. Learn as much as you can about your children’s use
of the Internet
• Find out which services they use and what they like to do online
• Find out about the security features on their favorite websites
• Talk to your children about protecting themselves and being safe online

McAfee Social Networking Guide is avaiable at: http://mcaf.ee/xzq1p

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Guest post by Tracy Mooney, McAfee Cybermom

Would it surprise you to know that kids are using phones and web enabled devices to cheat on tests?

Did you know that some game websites that are geared for kids, may have games that contain more adult content?

Did you know that kids teach each other how to get around the filters on school computers to go to banned websites?

With all the technology that is available to young kids today, it is important for parents to take charge and be aware of the technology you bring into your home starting from a young age. I shared what works for me and keeps me savvy to the things my kids are doing online and off.

Kids will always want the latest device, game, phone, but what does that item “X�? do? I take advantage of my kids’ enthusiasm for the new item by taking five minutes and having them tell me all about “X�?. I question them long enough to get an idea if this is something I feel comfortable letting them have.

Here are some possible questions to ask:

1. Does it have Internet access?

2. Does the device or game have a chat feature?

3. What is the rating, if it is a game and why did it get that rating?

4. Can you play with people? If so, can you block users?

5. Can I block or filter the features?

6. Is there an age recommendation/limit?

If I have time, I use the internet to not only search for the best price but also to read reviews. Websites such as Amazon.com are full of user reviews that can give you a hint about the features and whether you want to buy “X�? for your child.  If it is an online game, I check out the site itself and read up on the features when my kids aren’t around. I might see what I can find about the game by conducting a search on Google or Yahoo.

We then go see the item at the store the next time we are out. I then have the store clerk tell me all about item “X�? as well. This flushes out some of the things my child may have left out, but it also might clue me into features such as parental controls, monthly fees and compatibility with my pc.

It takes a bit of time and effort to do this, but I am the parent and it is my money. It helps me to keep tabs on what my kids are doing so I can guide their choices but it also teaches them to be a savvy consumer. It’s a win/win in my book!

Stay Safe out there!

Tracy

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Facebook is great at getting us to open up, to share personal details with our “friends” and to live out our lives online. Unfortunately, the rest of the world hasn’t quite caught up to Zuckerberg’s utopian vision of a world where information flows as freely as rainwater yet does not accumulate dirt and debris on its way into the gutter. Sharing personal information can be hazardous to your online health if you don’t do it in a smart way.

Here are five seemingly-innocent Facebook statuses that could get you into hot water:

• Don’t reveal your location. This goes for present and future locations. You may be excited for your trip to the Florida Keys, but posting when you will be gone is an open invitations to robbers and stalkers. In that same vein, use caution when using FourSquare or other location-based apps while out of town, or even posting pictures from your phone in a tropical location. It’s a red flag to everyone that you are far away, and some pictures could include clues that pinpoint your location more than you might think.
• Keep your events VIP only. Aside from the wrath you’ll incur from your parents after they discover the mess left by a house party while they weren’t home, there are safety issues at stake. It’s not a good idea to announce a party or event on Facebook via status message. You never know who will show up and cause trouble. Additionally, if you make it an official Facebook event, make sure to change the privacy settings so only the people invited can see the details.
• Keep it PG. Whether you’re of drinking age or not, it’s never a good idea to plaster Facebook with party pictures of yourself. It can clue people in to your favorite haunts, which is a safety issue, but also it can cause problems at work, with family members who have young children and any friends who are inadvertently capture in the snapshot. Just remember, your mom is probably on Facebook, so don’t post anything she wouldn’t approve.
• Save the drama for the soaps. Unexpectedly changing a relationship status on Facebook (without even alerting the other person first) can cause big problems and set the stage for a war. People have the same feelings they did before social networking came on the scene and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Don’t get your whole Facebook network involved in a private dispute.
• Limit your vulnerability. Oftentimes, Facebook users rely too heavily on their “friends�? network as a safety net. An open ear for complaints, a sounding board for problems. Don’t make a habit of using your status to express your vulnerability. Statements such as “I’m bored.�? Or “I’m lonely�? not only clue onlookers to the fact that you’re alone and an easy target physically, but also emotionally. Cyber bullying is a rampant trend these days, and there’s no use provoking those who can’t help themselves when it comes to psychological warfare online.

We hope these simple tips help you get the most out of Facebook, without it getting the better of you.

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Unfortunately Facebook does not give you the option to not allow anyone to tag you in a photo. Given how frequently photos are used in cyberbullying attacks, hopefully this is a feature that Facebook will consider adding in the near future, but for now, there are steps you can take to reduce the visibility of these photos to others.

For adults this can be useful in two ways: configuring your own accounts, but also the accounts of your children to minimize the chances of your child being embarrassed or harassed via Facebook photo-tagging.

If you find this video helpful please share it with your friends. Let’s make this June the month where we stop worrying about the Internet and start using it responsibly and making it fun again!

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Millions of people use online dating sites to broaden their networks and meet potential mates, but not everyone on these sites are sincere—some are scammers hoping to lure you in with false affection, with the goal of gaining your trust, and eventually, your money.

In a typical scam, the cybercrook will create a fake online dating profile, complete with attractive photos. Then, they reach out to you one-on-one via email, chat, text or phone, trying to establish a relationship and gain your trust. Once trust is established, they may ask for money for a plane ticket to visit, or give you a sob story.

Here are a few tips to make your Valentine’s Day safe and scam-free:

• When signing up for online dating, go with a well-known dating site and get referrals from friends on which sites they use
• Once signed up to a dating site, stay incognito for a while. That way, if you run into someone who’s dishonest or makes you uncomfortable, you stay safe
• Design your dating profile with care—think about the image you want to project and NEVER, under any circumstance, post personal information, such as your full name, address and phone number.
• Vet potential dates by checking to see that their profile information matches other online information, such as their LinkedIn or Spokeo profile.
• When meeting a date for the first time, make sure to meet in a public place and DO NOT give them your personal address. Trust your instincts—if there are red flags, you are not imagining things. End the date.
• If a potential date asks you for a loan or any financial information, immediately report them to the dating site.
• NEVER EVER click on links in emails or eCards from people you do not know.
• When you receive an eCard, check the destination address of the link to make sure it is going to a legitimate eCard site – if you don’t trust it, DO NOT click it.

If you are one of the millions of Americans using an online dating site, we hope these tips help make your Valentine’s Day safe and fun.

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I hope this can provide parents with a bit of insight about Cyberbullying and how technology can help them get a handle on the problem.

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