Cork Educate Together National School November 2014

The Internet/ World Wide Web The Internet and the connections it allows us to make all over world is a wonderful tool for: Entertainment Sourcing information & learning Communication of all sorts Shopping When using any of these its very important to keep ourselves and our children safe

Depending on what you use the internet for there are different guides for staying safe online.

Staying safe surfing the net Staying safe using e-mail Staying safe using instant messaging - MSN, Skype, Yahoo chat, Google talk etc. Staying safe in chat rooms or on social network sites Online shopping

Surfing the Net..

Staying safe surfing the net Surfing the net is great fun and so useful for information, entertainment, news, sports results, factsnfigures, timetables and much more. WONDERFUL educational resource too!!!

Staying safe surfing the net Keep your computer current. A computer thats up-to-date is far more likely to be secure. For the protection of your computer make sure you have regularly updated antivirus software and that you scan your computer with it regularly!!!! Use a firewall. Detect, remove, and block malicious software threats using the full service scan.

Staying safe surfing the net Take care with the search terms you use to search from something. If an unexpected result comes up from your search, retype your search term, checking the spellings and/or refine your search term HotmaleHotmailGayByrne

Staying safe surfing the net Beware dialogue boxes FLASHING to get you to click on them! DONT click on these!!!!!

Staying safe surfing the net Use strong passwords. When choosing your password, choose something easy to remember and spell for which you need little/no assistance Your password should be hard for others to guess Protect your passwords, and if you can, change them regularly.

Staying safe surfing the net Always keep your passwords private.

Staying safe surfing the net When searching for information for your school work online you must be clear to show where you got the information Using content from the internet as your own content on or off the internet is illegal

E-mail

Personal choice but age limits are there for a reason

Stay safe when using e-mail E-mail is a great way to communicate and stay in touch with friends and family. Some ways to stay safe when e-mailing: When creating your email address dont use information about your location (i.e. addresses, phone number etc). This seems obvious but it has been done and leaves you quite vulnerable.

Stay safe when using e-mail contd When choosing your password, choose something easy to remember and spell for which you need little/no assistance - follow the guidance given by your email provider as to the strength of your password. It is inadvisable to use the same password for multiple accounts.

Always take care to ensure the remember me or keep me logged in settings are UNCHECKED on public/shared computers. These are very useful on your own personal computer where privacy is not an issue but in the school, an internet caf or on any shared computer this is not safe. Stay safe when using e-mail contd

If you ever receive emails that have irresponsible or disrespectful communication or content your email provider will have a way to block emails from that address. Or at least send them to a junk folder immediately. Please talk to a family member, friend or teacher if an email has been difficult for you.

Redirecting or blocking unwanted e-mail This is slightly different with each provider (Gmail, Yahoo, Eircom, Hotmail/Live etc. Use the Help facility in your email account to search for the procedure to block emails and it will take you through it step by step)

Dont give out any personal information. Guard your home address, training centre/school/college location and bank or credit card information. It may be a good idea to have one e-mail that you use for family members and close friends and another one for shopping and signing up for newsletters and Web sites. Stay safe when using e-mail contd

Use caution when opening attached files. A file attached to an e-mail is a common way for a virus to spread. Think first before opening attachments even if you know the sender, and check with the sender if youre not sure about an attachment Delete any suspect email. Stay safe when using e-mail contd

Always remember to sign out when finished with your e-mail

Instant messaging

Personal choice but age limits are there for a reason

Stay safe when using IM Skype and instant messaging are wonderful ways of staying in touch with friends and family They are free and can be made easy to use to accommodate different methods of communication (cam. Mic & text combination) As with email certain safety measures should be followed

For Parents Respect age limits Get familiar with the technology your child is using Be a follower/friend? For students People arent always what they seem, make sure that the people on your contact list are people that you know in the real world.; If people add you to their contact list and you dont know them use your blocking function to stop them from seeing you on line and then they wont be able to contact you. If you have a profile on IM, dont put too much personal information like your contact details, addresses or where you go to school. Use a cartoon character or symbol instead of a photo.

Stay safe when using IM MSN/Yahoo/Skype contd Just as with e-mail.. never reveal your personal information never open a file that you arent expecting. Choose a screen name carefully. Dont use any word that could identify you, your family, or even the place where you live.

Stay safe when using IM contd Only exchange contact details with people you trust Its fine to say no thanks when asked for your username/addy Be familiar with how to ignore/block unwanted contacts.

Stay safe when using IM contd Be familiar with the privacy settings in the program you use Skype/Facebook etc Consult the help facility or your IT tutor on this

For Students Be careful. Of giving out too much personal information. Remember that the information that you put on your profile can be seen by everybody. Once you place the information /photos on the Internet it can be seen and copied/used by others, i.e. you lose control over it, people may attempt to use it ways that you never intended. Use your privacy settings Remember People arent always what they seem, Be careful of accepting people into your chat areas. Think about the material you are going to share with these people. Be aware that people may use these sites to carryout bullying and harassment. They may attempt to use material from your profile in malicious ways, post nasty comments etc. Remember it is relatively easy to trace online bullies. Keep the evidence and bring it to the attention of someone you trust.

Help Beat the Cyberbullies If you're being bullied Save the evidence Dont respond in any shape or form to any provocation Tell an adult or someone you trust

ALWAYS remember to logout/sign out

Chat Rooms

Stay safe using chat rooms Chatting in chat rooms online can be a great way to meet and talk to a broad variety of people all over the world.

Be careful who you trust online As with any group of people, anywhere, you will meet nice and nasty people online However online people can pretend easily People may not be who or even what they seem to be online no matter how long you have been talking to them or how friendly they are Stay safe using chat rooms

Use a chat nick name that doesnt identify your location in anyway Keep your personal information secret when chatting online DONT giver your name, address, telephone number, mobile number, private email address, picture, even if people ask for this. Although It can be tempting to reveal more than you normally would in online friendships, giving out personal information can make you vulnerable. Chat danger example

Stay safe using chat rooms Use chat rooms that have moderators. A moderator is hired to monitor chat and keep it safe and respectful You can usually tell if a site is moderated when you sign up or enter the chat room. A moderator will ensure that any irresponsible or disrespectful communication is stopped.

Stay safe using chat rooms Report inappropriate behaviour. Report incidents of bullying, sexual exploitation, or other fraud to the chat room moderator. This is rare but everyone needs to help stop it and prevent it.

Stay safe using chat rooms Its okay to leave. Leave the chat room if you feel you are being bullied or harassed, are asked for private information, or just feel uncomfortable with the conversation.

Stay safe using chat rooms Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous. If you feel that you have to meet, then for your own safety you must tell a family member and take them with you at least on the first visit and meet in a public place in daytime. AGAIN people may not be who or even what they seem to be online no matter how long you have been talking to them or how friendly they are A trustworthy chat friend will understand that you both need to be safe If a chat friend objects to you bringing a family member with you to meet they are not safe to meet http://www.childnet.com/young- people/primary

ALWAYS remember to sign out/log out

Online Shopping

Online shopping Shopping online is great fun You can get great deals and save a lot of money Its convenient to shop from home and get your goods delivered particularly if access to the shops isnt easy A bit too easy? Practice being responsible with money?

Staying safe shopping online Only use large reputable shopping websites

Staying safe shopping online As with any shopping, shop around and compare prices Be sure they deliver in Ireland and are clear about, a fair price and are up-front about packaging and delivery costs. Be sure they provide an appropriate warranty, guarantee or returns (where appropriate). Be clear about what support they provide if/when something goes wrong.

Staying safe shopping online Find out what form of payment the seller will accept. If it is only cheques or money orders, decide whether you are willing to take the risk of sending your payment before you receive the product. If possible, you should use a credit card (check your details are protected) because it offers the most protection if there is a problem. The use of prepaid credit cards, 3V cards is a good example.

Staying safe shopping online Make sure your personal information is protected. Check for signs that the Web site protects sensitive data: look for https in the Web address and for a yellow padlock or an unbroken key in the lower-right corner. Learn more

Staying safe shopping online When choosing a password, choose something easy to remember and spell for which you need little/no assistance - follow any guidance given as to the strength of your password. It is inadvisable to use the same password for multiple accounts.

Staying safe shopping online Always keep your passwords private. If you need assistance with your password please limit the people with whom you share your password.

Staying safe shopping online Never ever give out passwords over the phone or on the internet. If a website needs your password, they will ask you to go to the site and log in, not follow a link to log in. Don't use the links in email advertisements, even for trusted websites. Many times hackers will make up a fake ad for people to be lead to giving personal information. Instead, go to the website through a search engine, or by typing the name directly into the address bar of your browser Keep a copy or record of what you have ordered, plus the supplier's confirmation message.

Staying safe shopping online If a deal looks too good to be true BEWARE!! Further information available at: The Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs The European Consumer Centre Dublin The Consumer Association of Ireland

ALWAYS remember to sign out/log out

Finally.. Where is the computer in your house? Open, accessible area where activity is visible to all? Mobile devices? Always accessible? Time limits?

Useful internet safety links for children and parents This link is to the set of publications called Get With IT. They are available online from this site and in local libraries too.. http://www.internetsafety.ie/website/ois/oisweb.nsf/page/DPCY- 7K2LKD1649222-en http://www.internetsafety.ie/website/ois/oisweb.nsf/page/DPCY- 7K2LKD1649222-en Irish Guide to internet safety for children http://www.internetsafety.ie/website/ois/oisweb.nsf/page/safety- guidechildren-en http://www.internetsafety.ie/website/ois/oisweb.nsf/page/safety- guidechildren-en Irish guide to internet safety for parents http://www.internetsafety.ie/website/ois/oisweb.nsf/page/safety- guideparents-en http://www.internetsafety.ie/website/ois/oisweb.nsf/page/safety- guideparents-en Link to Facebook tools for parents and educators... http://www.facebook.com/help/441374602560317/

Thank you for your time and enjoy your time online safely!

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Cork Educate Together National School November 2014