Internet Safety

1. Internet Safety Protect your Digital Reputation

2. What’s my digital reputation? Your digital reputation is how people see you based on what you post and share online — including blog entries, comments, photos, and social networking profiles. Even people who know you personally — like friends, teachers, or family members — may find out new things about you based on what you post online.  That’s why it’s important to keep your digital reputation in good standing.

3. How do I get a good digital reputation? Think about what you post or share online. If it’s not something you’d share with everyone from your teachers to your friends, don’t put it out there. This includes inappropriate pictures, negative comments, and extremely personal information about yourself and others.  Do you want a college admissions officer to see that “one picture” of you at your friend’s party?  What about sharing a revealing photo of you from Halloween with your future boss?  Another way to help keep a good digital reputation is to be nice (and pass it on). Be respectful online and treat people the way you’d want to be treated. And remember not to say anything to someone online that you wouldn’t say to their face.

4. How do I choose a good online ID? Since your ID is how the online community will identify you, it’s important to choose one that represents you, but doesn’t give away private information. You don't want strangers to know too much about you just from seeing your ID. For example, if you choose the name "49erfan" as your ID, it will communicate to the world that you are apparently fond of the 49ers. Fine. There's little risk of someone being able to distinguish one fan of butterflies from the millions of others out there in the world. On the other hand, the name "Butterflies4Jane" goes a little further. It provides someone with a name, which they could use as both a conversation starter and to feign a sense of familiarity.

5. How do I choose a good online ID?(cont) Remember to have fun choosing your ID. If it’s an inside joke between you and your friends, that’s fine. But always leave out the following personal information: • First and last name • Address • Phone numbers • School name • The names of parents and siblings

6. How do I choose a good online ID?(cont) Instead, try one similar to these examples: • Colors — shadesofgrey, purplepassion • Animals — leapinglizard, liontamer • Musicians — rihannarox, jayzbaby • Sports — soccerchamp, fieldhockey23 • Games — ps3isthebest, yourguitarhero

7. What should I keep private? Internet conversations let you keep in touch with friends, but keeping those conversations (and your user names/profiles) free of personal information like your password, full name, or even the name of your school is important. It’s also very important to protect your identity by not posting personal information online. Personal details such as last name, address, phone numbers, school name, and date of birth can be used to identify you in real life. It’s also a good idea to learn about the role of websites’ Privacy Policies. You can review the Yahoo! Privacy Policy

8. What can I do to keep personal information private? Never give your password out. If someone gains access to your password they can read your mail, buy stuff with your credit card information, and obtain personal and identifiable information. They can change your profile, play pranks using your name, and possibly get you kicked off your service. They can also change your password and lock you out of your account! Choose a password that is easy for you to remember but cannot be easily guessed. You may want to change your password frequently, even once a month (but make sure you remember it!). Be careful if someone is watching you enter your password — they could look over your shoulder and steal it.

9. What can I do to keep personal information private? It’s important to know the difference between real-life friends and online friends. Chatting with your best friend from school is very different from chatting with someone you only know online. An online friend may not be someone you can trust. So be smart when you talk with people you don’t know in real life -- never give out information that will allow them to find you offline. Information such as the school you attend, the teams you are on, the place where you work, your address, your telephone number, or your detailed description when linked with other information can help someone find you if they are looking very hard. Be careful where else you put information that is publicly accessible. Think before you post personal information on school websites, friends' websites, profiles, and digital re

10. What can I post online? As long as it’s not abusive, you can post pretty much anything online. You can post blog entries about your favorite music, sports, movies, or television shows. Post short videos of your friends and family. Post pictures from summer vacation, a link to a news story, or a review of the movie you saw last week.

11. What shouldn’t I post? Since what you post will almost always be linked to you, don’t post revealing personal information like your name, address, or passwords. Don’t post stuff that will reflect negatively on you if it’s something you wouldn’t want your parents or teachers to see, it shouldn’t go online. Remember that once something is posted online, you can quickly loose control of it. It’s easy for other people to take it, share it, edit it, and post it in other places. Always think before you post!

12. What are my rights online? You have the right to enjoy your time online. You have the right to feel safe, to feel free to explore the wealth of content and community that is available through a variety of online services. You have the right to not respond to email or other messages that are inappropriate or make you feel scared. Harassing, threatening, posting obscene or otherwise objectionable content on Yahoo! is not allowed and is considered abuse. If you get a message that you don’t feel right about, that creeps you out, or that makes you feel angry, bad, or sad, don’t respond. Instead, show it to your parents, guardians, or another trusted adult. And whether you tell an adult about it, or not, make sure that you report the incident to the service provider by clicking on the Report Abuse link. This way, we can address the abuse ourselves. These reports are kept confidential.

13. How can I get involved with online safety? There are several ways to learn more about online safety. Visit the Get Involved page to find out about groups you can join, get tips to share with your friends, and hear from other teenagers who are online safety leaders.

14. Stranger danger: What should I watch out for? When chatting online, playing games, or posting messages, keep in mind that you don’t always know the people you are communicating with. Always use caution when approached by someone unknown, just as you would in real life. Reject invitations from unknown users and never respond to email or instant messages that make you feel uncomfortable. Tell a parent or guardian about any personal or sexual questions or comments from a stranger online. Many Yahoo! services also allow you to block or ignore specific users. Choose a specific service to learn how to set up this blocking. And remember, you can always report abuse to Yahoo! if you receive a message that makes you uncomfortable. You should never arrange a face-to-face meeting with an online-only acquaintance without involving a parent or guardian. The Internet can be a great way to chat with people who have similar interests, but unfortunately, people are not always who they seem or say they are.

15. If I get approached by a stranger, what should I do? If I see content that makes me uncomfortable, who can I tell? If you are ever harassed or mistreated online, or if you come across offensive or illegal pictures, videos, or text, click on the Report Abuse link most often located at bottom of the page where the abuse has occurred and let us know about it.

16. If I see content that makes me uncomfortable, who can I tell? If you get a message that you don’t feel right about, that creeps you out, or that makes you feel angry, bad, or sad, don’t respond. Instead, show it to your parents, guardians, or another trusted adult. And whether you tell an adult about it, or not, make sure that you report the incident to the service provider by clicking on the Report Abuse link. This way, we can address the abuse ourselves. These reports are kept confidential.

17. What happens when I report abuse? The website will review the report and determine whether the user’s actions really were “abuse” as outlined in the website’s Terms of Service (TOS). If the website finds that the actions were against the TOS, then it will take appropriate action, which may include giving the user a warning, removing the user’s ID from their site or if bad enough, even reporting the actions to law enforcement. These consequences are kept confidential.

18. What is cyber-bullying? You know what bullying is — you see kids pick on other kids in the lunchroom or you hear one friend say something nasty about another friend behind her back in class. Cyber-bullying is no different. You might receive mean or insulting text or instant messages from someone you thought was your friend. Or a classmate might pretend to be you and post false information or unflattering photos on a website. This is cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying is defined as any cyber-communication posted or sent by a minor that is intended to frighten, embarrass, harass, or otherwise target another minor. If there aren’t minors on both sides of the communication, it is considered cyber-harassment, but the two terms mean pretty much the same thing.

19. Someone’s cyber-bullying me. What can I do? If someone is being disrespectful or bullying you, try to ignore them and click on Report Abuse, because their actions are most likely not allowed by the website. Also, you can use privacy tools to block them from viewing your full profile and contacting you. If it doesn’t stop, tell a trusted adult that you are being cyber-bullied.

20. What is Yahoo! Safely Parents? Yahoo! Safely Parents is for parents only (but we don’t mind if teenagers sneak in). We designed it to help parents and guardians: • Keep their children safe on the Internet. • Navigate the bewildering world of technology for children and families. • Open the dialogue between parents and teens about online safety. Our library contains dozens of articles and resources about online safety and ways to get involved from leading organizations.

21. What online activities should I share with my parents? Talking with your parents or guardians doesn’t mean giving up your privacy. Everyone benefits when you’re on the same page when it comes to online activities, including when you can go online, how long you can stay online, and what activities you can do online.

22. What is a family pledge for online safety? The pledge is a way for family members to talk about how they are spending their time online. By talking with your parents or guardians, you can agree to not give out personal information, to not set up offline meetings, and more. It’s a simple way to stay

23. Internet Safety Tips for Parents: • Become computer literate and be actively involved in your children's online experiences. • Place computers in high-traffic areas, not a child's room. • Use screening software. • Read unfamiliar e-mails. Monitor telephone and modem changes. Check out unfamiliar phone numbers and e-mail addresses. • Don't allow children to spend long periods of time on the computer, especially at night.

24. Internet Safety Tips for Parents: • Help children understand that online users may not be who they claim to be or who they seem to be. Get to know your children's Internet friends. • Tell children to report anything they come across online that seems strange or makes them uncomfortable especially if they are ever asked personal questions or invited to personal meetings. • Tell children to report to you suggestive, obscene or threatening e-mail or bulletin board messages. Forward copies to your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and insist they help deal with the problem. • Be concerned if children mention adults you don't know, become sensitive, or appear to have inappropriate sexual knowledge. • Post the Internet Safety Rules for Kids by your computer.

25. Internet Safety Rules for Kids • Never give out personal information, such as your name, address, school name or address, or parents' or teachers' names or addresses. • Never create online profiles. • Never visit chat rooms or join an IRC (Internet Relay Chat) without permission. • Never go to private chat rooms or meet online friends in a private online setting.

26. Internet Safety Rules for Kids • Never go to new Web sites without permission. • Never respond to rude or offensive e-mail, instant messages or postings. • Never post, send or receive pictures (usually files that end with GI, jpg, jpeg, or tiff). • Never meet online friends in person without a parent present.