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Look Both Ways
Book

Look Both Ways

Help Protect Your Family on the Internet

Microsoft Press (USA), 2006 more...

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8

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Just as everyone needs to learn to cross the street without getting hit by a car, everyone needs to learn to use the Internet safely – and this applies even if you think you are a technophobe. Linda Criddle explains that installing protective software is not enough. Antivirus, antispyware and firewall programs won’t do you any good if you don’t know how to protect your personal information and avoid exploitation; you can damage yourself more than any virus can. Criddle organizes her advice into 13 steps, and she provides helpful “think about it” and “find out more” boxes as well as real-life examples, images of Web pages, diagrams and sample forms. getAbstract recommends Criddle’s advice if you blog, browse, send e-mail or instant messages, or play Internet games, either at home or at work – in other words, to just about anyone who’d rather be safe than sorry.

Summary

What Are the Risks?

Online or cybercriminals commit the same kinds of crimes as other criminals, but using the Internet. Cybercrimes include identity theft, harassment, stalking and assault. Since more than two billion people have Internet access, including 21 million children in the U.S. alone, cybercriminals have lots of opportunities. Children between the ages of 12 and 17 have a one-in-five chance of being sexually solicited online. Pornography comprises 12% of Web sites and 25% of search-engine requests.

Cybercrime happens in three steps. First, criminals choose a target or objective, such as stealing an identity or sexually exploiting a teenager. Second, they figure out how to obtain their objective, for example, by sifting through their target’s messages to find references to new possessions or by gaining the confidence of their victim. Finally, they strike.

Take the following 13 steps to protect yourself online:

Step 1: “Be Careful What You Show People”

Photos give away information. For example, a picture of you with your new car can reveal what you look like, where you live and your socioeconomic status. Before you post a photo, examine...

About the Authors

Linda Criddle is a senior product manager for child safety at a major software firm.


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