Web Safety

The internet can be the superhighway to information, or the fast road to victimization. The internet has become an effective access point for pedophiles and child pornographers, as well as an open door to a devastating array of pornographic and violent images and games available to children. One in five kids online received a sexual solicitation over the internet in the last year. One in four kids online received an unsolicited pornographic image in the last year. Most of these incidents are not reported to law enforcement. The first line of defense for your children must be concerned and informed parents.

The first step in internet safety is to place the family computer where it can be seen. Remember the old days of sitting at the kitchen table to do homework? Computers with unrestricted internet access behind a kid’s bedroom door is an invitation to disaster.

The family should discuss and establish rules for safe internet use. Consider the Internet Safety Contract available at http://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/ICAC/kidsicac.htm. Post the Contract near the computer and review it occasionally.

Customize your web browser to restrict adult content. Each major browser lets you do this in the Tools options. But don’t rely very much on this step. The browser uses the various web sites’ own evaluation of their content, so a pornographic site might list it’s site as kid-friendly (and many do!). The downside to setting your browser controls to view only rated sites is that many sites do not submit ratings, so this step will frustrate a normal internet search.

Use pop-up blocker software. "Pornbots" ensnare innocent users and take a computer on a wild ride into hard core pornography that can often be stopped only by shutting off the computer's power supply.

Report any incident of cyberstalking to local law enforcement. Make an additional immediate report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipLine. In Utah, notify the Attorney General's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force at 801-281-1254.

Warn kids to not respond to threatening, harassing, or offensive emails. Any response encourages the sender. Delete spam mail without opening.

Parents can also subscribe to pre-filtered browser services. These services are supported by advertisers and are generally free. Parents set up the kids’ computer to go to the pre-filtered service and kids cannot navigate beyond the service’s kid-friendly spaces. A related approach is to restrict your kids to internet play zones. AOL allows parents to carefully craft the areas into which a kid can enter. There are other internet playgrounds, such as the Disney Club Blast. Kids are “fenced in” to a safe and monitor playground zone. This approach works best for younger kids (K through Grade 6).

Ask your kids to show you their favorite sites. Teach them (learn first!) how to use child-friendly search engines.

Internet accounts should be in the parent's name with parents having the primary screen name, controlling passwords, and using blocking and/or filtering devices. Parents should use "hard" password security.

If you allow chatting, know your child's chat partners. Limit chatting to child-friendly chat rooms.

Talk to your kids about what to do if they see something inappropriate. Show them how to turn off the monitor. Let them know that it is not their fault if someone sends them a bad image or message, but encourage them to tell you.

Never allow a child to complete an on-line profile, and never use a child's name as a screen name. On-line identities should be vague to avoid alerting the cyberworld that a child is entering cyberspace.

Lockdown allow parents to shut off or time-restrict internet access. Monitoring programs allow parents to see where their kids have been surfing, view images, text, web pages, and even chats. Some programs allow hidden monitoring from remote locations. Parents could even monitor internet traffic on the home computer while sitting at their desks at work many miles away. Such programs certainly raise privacy and trust issues, but may be necessary in certain situations.

Recognize that kids are smart and curious. No internet security is perfect. Stay involved with your kids and talk to them regularly about where they go in cyberspace.

There are many safe places to go on the web. More information about internet safety can be found at:

http://www.netsmartz.org/ contains many resources for kids, parents, educators, law enforcement, and civic groups. This is a one-stop internet safety education site.

www.getnetwise.com is a great place for parents to learn about many aspects of internet safety, identity fraud, viruses, and spam.

Placement of the internet-enabled computer

One key element of internet protection is often overlooked. Computer placement can be one of the most powerful safety tools, and it costs nothing. The computer monitor should be placed in the kitchen, close to the main traffic path (which is likely near the cookie jar or refrigerator). Computers with internet access which are placed in bedrooms or behind closed doors are invitations for abuse.

A second low-tech, low-cost, high-return protective element is family discussion of internet dangers. A discussion can be based on one of the many fine articles from the Ensign. They may be found at LDS.org. Go to the Gospel Library and navigate the drop-down menu on the right side of the screen. There are numerous resources discussing internet pornography, internet addiction, fighting pornography in the community, and family safety discussions.

Despite your best efforts, you can do little to monitor your family's use of the internet at neighbors' homes, libraries or internet cafes. You can, and should, urge your community leaders and legislators to strengthen laws and enforcement against unlawful internet pornography. Contact your local library and school and ask what they do to keep the internet safe at their facility.

In my backyard?

Are you a member of the NIMBY (not in my back yard) club when it comes to pornography? The Salt Lake valley consistently ranks at the top of the list for per capita searches for pornography. In other words, a high percentage of area residents frequently gravitate from searches for dead ancestors to searches for live hot bodies. Utah leads out in contributing to more than its share of the $57,000,000,000.00 annual revenue of the internet pornography industry. Every day, there are 68,000,000 worldwide internet searches for pornography. That's 25% of all total searches. Nearly 10% of email messages transmit sexually-explicit material. Our back yard, the Salt Lake valley, leads the nation in per capita arrests of predators who use the internet to arrange sexual liaisons with children.

Start by checking your computer for existing pornography. One immediate step is to review the cookies and history files on your internet browser program. Most computers use either Internet Explorer or Netscape. If you use a different browser, look for instructions on the browser's "help" feature.

Internet Explorer

To view the history: Click either the History button, or click View then Explorer Bar then History. You can also hist the control key and h key together.

To adjust the number of days kept in the history: Click on View then Internet Options then use the up or down arrow in the history section to adjust the number of days.

Netscape

To view the history: Click on Communicator then History (on some versions, it is Communicator, then Tools, then History) or you can just hit Control and h keys together.

To adjust the number of days kept in the history: Use the above procedure then in the history window, click Edit then Preferences and enter the how many days you want kept.

If someone has been frequently clearing the history, or has the history-clearing option set for a short period, this may be a clue that inappropriate browsing is happening. For more information about cookies and history, go to one of the following sites:

http://familyinternet.about.com/cs/internethelp/a/blhistory.htm

Filtering

Every computer should be equipped with up-to-date filtering. For younger families, content limiting and internet filtering software protects against unwanted exposure to harmful material. Most internet service providers include such software services in their basic service package. Most basic filter programs can be defeated, some more easily than others, by a teen or adult with a little determination and not much computer savvy.

Filters do more than block pornography. Filters can be adjusted to stop violence, chat rooms, instant messaging and software downloads. Many filters prevent sending personal information from the computer (defeating internet sales as well as offering some protection against predators). Some allow parents to set time and access limits for the internet service.

Look for a filter that is rated as effective by a reliable rating service (see below). A good filter software program should be relatively easy to install and use. It should come with the basic protection level as a pre-set default and be customizable to individual family needs and preferences. Look for the availability of support services, and consider whether live support is offered in addition to web chat and email support. Most significantly, a good filter must thwart attempts to turn it off or modify its settings without the administrator password.

Some families may choose to use pre-filtered internet services. An internet search for "pre filtered ISP" will offer many options. As with any product, some are more reliable than others. Ask your internet service provider about available pre-filter service options.

Disabling cookies enhances security and the effectiveness of filtering. However, it may also impact the functionality of your computer. Many legitimate and appropriate sites will not open unless cookies are activated. Sometimes parents must be willing to assist a child in accessing appropriate sites when filters (with or without cookies enabled) are unintentionally too restrictive.

Monitoring

Internet monitoring software lets parents view the chats, web visits, and email activity of family members. Many programs take screen shots of web sites visited. Some even send email messages to another computer, reporting internet activity at a set interval. Critics of monitoring programs claim that it is a privacy violation. Perhaps it is. However, family members should agree that nothing that happens on the computer is private. Most businesses use monitoring software due to concerns of wasted time and the damage commonly inflicted through viruses and spyware carried on the backs of pornography pages. Though many monitoring programs claim to be 100% undetectable when operating in stealth mode, few truly are undetectable. Why not simply let everyone know that a monitoring program is installed and is protecting all family members?

Most monitor programs track internet activity, but do not filter. You may wish to choose a combination of filtering programs, filtering options from your service provider, monitoring programs, or a combination program. There are several quality products available at a reasonable cost (see below). Look for a product that monitors all of the following: chats (both sides of the conversation), incoming and outgoing email, web sites visited and searches entered, downloads (including P2P, see below), and keystrokes logged. The program should come with the basic protection as the default level, and be easily customized for your family's needs. Just like filtering software, it should be easy to install and should be deactivated only by the administrator password. Access to help and support features is important, as some adjustments may be required to operate without conflicts between monitoring software and other software.

Threats and signs of computer misuse

One of the most common pathways for viruses and harmful spyware and adware is through a internet pornography site. When you notice that your computer's performance has slowed, or repeatedly crashes, it may be due to a virus. If the start-up process is noticeably slower there may be pornography site registry entries that await the opening of a browser to direct you to a pornography web site.

One of the most significant internet threats is peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing. P2P is a threat because few parents understand how it works and what it does. P2P services come through a variety of free software programs. If you see one of the following programs loaded on your computer, you have a P2P service:

P2P frequently hosts spyware and viruses. P2P downloads are almost always violations of federal and international copyright laws. Kids use P2P to illegally download music and videos. Very few internet filters effectively stop P2P. P2P downloads total 1,500,000,000 per month and over one-third of these are pornographic images and movies. A person can download a full-length, hardcore pornographic movie in a matter of a few minutes at no cost and without the notice of many of the better filter programs (a great argument for monitoring programs to be used in tandem with filtering).

Because the most vicious hardcore pornography is freely available on P2P networks, many consumers quickly become dissatisfied with "regular" pornography and move to all manner of specialty perversions. One P2P provider admits that it hosts over 100,000 searches per day for illegal child pornography. Because the service provider does not "hold" the child pornography file (or any other files), there is no legal prohibition to this service (yet). P2P sharing of child pornography is an excellent way to invite police officers into your home, equipped with search warrants and handcuffs. It happens in every neighborhood (including this one within the very recent past).

Many of the P2P services listed above automatically install spyware on your computer. If you are receiving a number of email messages advertising certain pharmaceuticals, or seeing a number of advertisement pop-ups, chances are that you have spyware on your computer. Chances are very good that the spyware came into your computer when someone was undertaking an inappropriate P2P activity. Some spyware programs have the ability to surf your computer files, looking for personal information, particularly for banking and financial information that may be used in identity theft scams.

Though by now everyone should be aware, email remains popular as a weapon to attack your computer with viruses and pornography. Never open unknown email attachments. Set your virus protection to scan incoming email. Use email spam filters (available in almost all email servers).

The following web sites provide basic knowledge about internet safety and the dangers of pornography:

A number of organizations and publications rate filtering and monitoring software. Some of the leading rating services include:

If you or your child has been the target of child pornography or if you find child pornography on your computer, you are legally required to report the child pornography to law enforcement. Contact the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at 801-281-1254.

To schedule a free Internet Safety presentation for your community, school, or business group (tailored to any age group and audience), contact Cindy Stonebraker, Utah Attorney General Internet Safety Educator at 801-281-1200.