|
|
|
 |
Learn about The Online Mom Network
|
|
Join The Online Mom Network
|
|
How Do I Become An Online Mom?
|
|
The Online Mom provides internet technology advice and information to help parents protect their kids, encourage responsible behavior and safely harness the power of technology in the new digital world. Social networking, photo sharing, video games, IM & texting, internet security, cyberbullying, educational resources, the latest on tech hardware, gadgets and software for kids 3-8, tweens and teens, and more.
|
|
Protecting Personal Info
When you or your children enter or store personal information on your computer
-- or
send it across the Internet -- that information is potentially vulnerable. Now,
in fairness,
the Internet’s not uniquely vulnerable: for instance, your credit
card information might be
even more vulnerable when you hand it to a waiter. But that doesn’t make
online identity
theft any more pleasant. And children are at special risk in ways that go far
beyond
money! So, let’s talk about the steps you and your children can take to
protect your
personal information: both your financial information and the other personal
information
that could make your kids vulnerable to predators.
- Tell your children never to give personal information to strangers
over the Internet, or
to post that information in public where strangers can see it. Explain to them
what
personal information is: for example, your full names, phone numbers,
home addresses,
email addresses, birth dates, personal photos, or social security numbers. Personal
information also includes details about your family that could help a stranger
trick
someone into believing they know you personally. Also, explain to them what kind
of
information they can provide: for example, first names rather than full
names.
- If your older child wants to enter personal information to join a web site,
make sure he
or she asks your permission. Then, visit the site yourself, to make sure it’s
legitimate.
- Don’t you casually hand out personal information online, either!
(As adults, it’s easy to
think we know better. Often, we don’t!) For instance, be careful about entering
online
competitions and promotions that ask for significant personal information, unless
you’re
confident of who will receive that data, and how they’re going to use it.
- Install anti-virus/anti-malware software that prevents other software from
being
installed on your computer which could steal your personal information. Then,
keep that
software up-to-date. This typically means paying for a yearly subscription,
and making
sure the software is set up to retrieve and install the latest downloads automatically.
- Don’t get tricked by phishing email messages – for instance, messages
that tell you
your bank account has been suspended, and offer a link where you can go to “fix”
the
problem. Real banks don’t send emails like that: if there’s a problem,
they’ll get in touch
with you by phone, postal mail, or in some other way. If you’re concerned
about your
account, either phone your financial service provider or go to their site’s
home page and
log in on their official login page. (If you’re not sure a site’s
legitimate, don’t provide
personal information. And you may want to get browsers with anti-phishing features,
or
special anti-phishing software that warns you when you’re visiting a site
which might be
trying to trick you.)
- If you (or your kids) are doing business online, look for the “locked”
symbol on the
page where you’re entering your shipping and credit card information. That
symbol tells
you your information is being transmitted securely. (This is important. But it
isn’t the
whole story. For instance, it doesn’t tell you that the web site is storing
your data securely
once it gets there!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
