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Teens online is new challenge for parents

By karen | February 22, 2013

Recent statistics show most teens are using the Internet more than ever, and often in ways their parents do not know about:

  • 59%of teens said they know how to hide what they do online from their parents[1]
  • 73% of teens use social networking sites[2]
  • 75% view videos on video-sharing sites[3]
  • 62% use instant messaging[4]
  • 33%swap music and video files on file sharing networks like LimeWire or FrostWire[5]

 

I talked with expert, Tracy Mooney, McAfee Chief Cyber Security Mom, who explained to me a new product McAfee developed to help parents communicate online safety and help kids stay safer online. The product is the McAfee Family Protection 2.0. I am impressed by its intelligence and I think a great “wave” to our Internet future.

Basically, McAfee Family Protection is trying to help families set age-appropriate limits on usage and content without blacklisting every questionable site. Hulu, for example, can be filtered based on a show’s specific rating, instead of just disallowing the site altogether.

Some of the features include:

  • Age-Appropriate Settings
  • Filtering for Internet TV, Music and Online Games
  • Search Engine Integration
  • Enhanced Remote Device Management
  • Email Activity Reports
  • Encrypted website blocking
  • Program blocking
  • Time limits
  • Email blocking
  • Instant email or text alerts
  • Social network and YouTube filtering

View the Slideshow (lefthand side) within this article to get an inside peak.

For more information: http://home.mcafee.com/store/family-protection

[1]Harris Interactive, McAfee, May 2010
[2]PEW Internet and American Life Project, Social Media and Young Adults, February 2010
[3]PEW Internet and American Life Project, January 2009
[4]PEW Internet and American Life Project, Teens and Mobile Phones, April 2010
[5]PEW Internet and American Life Project, January 2009
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How to prove you have been a victim of identity theft

By karen | February 19, 2013

Identity theft is stealing money and today you need to think of money as data either on paper or in cyberspace. Keep all documents and collect the paper trails in the real world and in the cyber world.

Get and keep all applications or other transaction records related to the theft of your identity. It will help prove you are a victim. For example, you may be able to show that a signature on an application is not yours.

Write letters–by law, companies have to give you a copy of all applications and other business transaction records related to your theft if you submit a letter in writing. Be sure to get the proper mailing address from them. There could be a charge after 30 days.

Give copies of all the documents related to your case to law enforcement, it may contain valuable information they can use. Also, have those businesses send copies to the law enforcement handling your case.

Those business can ask you for:
• Proof of your identity
• A police report and a completed affidavit from them or you can use the FTC’s Identity Theft Affidavit.

For more information visit ftc.gov/idtheft

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Password tips and techniques

By karen | February 15, 2013

Change passwords regularly. It is recommended changing passwords at least once a month and not reusing passwords.

Use different passwords for each of your social networking accounts, such as Facebook or Twitter.

You don’t have to keep changing passwords for every single site. For instance, the New York Times and other online magazines, since it won’t hurt too much if someone breaks into those.

Create strong passwords for those very important accounts—your online banking, your computer, your online bills, and your e-mails. Simple words and number strings are too easy for cybercriminals to uncover with password-cracking software. Use symbols or numbers in place of letters to make passwords more difficult to crack. For example, the password CYBERCRIME might be rendered as Cy&3RCr!m3.

Developing a complex passphrase is another option.

Step 1

Start with an original but memorable phrase. For example: I like to eat bagels at the airport and my first Cadillac was a real lemon so I bought a Toyota —just make sure it’s something you can remember without having to write it down. That’s the key!

Step 2

Turn your phrase into an acronym.

- I like to eat bagels at the airport = Il#3Ba#a

- My first Cadillac was a real lemon so I bought a Toyota! = M1stCw@rlsIb@T!

That’s it—you’re done.

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Sex offenders online, who is responsible

By karen | June 9, 2011

of the authorities going after the man who solicited sex photos them from her, a 14-year-old New Jersey girl has been accused of online child pornography. She was stupid yes, but a registered sex offender? A growing trend is prosecuting teens who send racy text messages or post illicit photos of themselves instead of going after the offenders who are exploiting others.

Maureen Kanka, whose daughter is Megan of Megan’s Law (a required sex offender registry), said “The teen needs help, not legal trouble. This shouldn’t fall under Megan’s Law in any way, shape or form. She should have an intervention and counseling, because the only person she exploited was herself.”

It’s called “sexting” when done by cell phone and it is a nationwide problem that has mystified parents, school administrators, and law enforcers. And so prosecutors in some states have tried stopping it by charging teens that send, when they should be spending time finding the root cause of the problem, the grown men who seduce our children.

To locate sex offenders in your area, go here: http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/ (Megan’s Law home page)

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