Betty teaches you the importance of keeping your OFFLINE identity separate from your ONLINE identity

Betty

Betty
Cyber Defender & Clubhouse Supervisor

Betty learned the hard way about sharing too much information online when rumors she had spread through her online blog upset some of her friends. Since then she has made it her goal to educate everyone about what information is inappropriate or unsafe to share online to prevent others from getting hurt.

As a Cyber Defender, Betty focuses on the most important information you should never share online, your offline identity.

Favorite Quote:

A stumble may prevent a fall
- English Proverb

Favorite Food:

Tea and crumpets

Interests:

Chatting, macrame, collecting teacups

March 27 2009

Captured!

I tell you, Cadets, I heaved the biggest sigh of relief when I heard that Elvirus and Ms. Information were in the Detention Center. We've been after them for a long time, and the damage they've done to Cyberspace over the years has been pretty significant. Now with them behind bars, the Internet is a little bit safer. I can sleep just a wee bit better at night.

I have to say, I'm so proud of the Cyber Defenders! Keep up the great work, gang!

posted by Betty
topics: Miscellaneous

March 25 2009

Safe Online Communication: Choosing safer Social Networking sites

Many social networking sites are not intended for kids, and some of the people who use them make them an unsafe place. Some sites don't verify the ages of their users. Then, kids who are too young can lie about their age to sign up for adult sites, and weirdo strangers can pretend to be kids on kids sites.

However, there are some safe social networking sites out there that are for kids only. These safer sites reduce some of the dangers of social networking sites, like weirdo strangers and revealing too much information. In fact, some of these sites are even cooler than adult social networking sites because they have games, avatars, and fun virtual environments to explore!

If you're searching for a safer social networking site, here are a few safe features you and your trusted adult should be on the lookout for:

  • That the site is run by a reliable and trustworthy company that has a reputation for child safety. Refer to Maya's Online Shopping tips for help with deciding if a company is reliable or not.
  • That the company is easy to contact in case there's a problem.
  • That a site complies with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Sites that do must require a parent's permission before they collect or use a kid's information (like for registering an account), and they also must allow parents to review their child's profile and page.
  • A system that validates the ages of its users (usually by sending a parent an email when their child's account is created), and a policy that they will delete any account with false information.
  • That the site has privacy and security features that let users limit who can see their content.
  • Trained moderators online during times when users can communicate in real time with each other.
  • An easy way for kids to notify the moderators if they come across something false, inappropriate, or that makes them uncomfortable.
  • Language filters that automatically scan any chatting and messages for foul language, bullying, and inappropriate conversation and block or scramble them.

These things can't guarantee that a site is 100% safe, but they can certainly reduce the risk.

posted by Betty
topics: Safe Online Communication

March 3 2009

Personal Information: Is it really personal information?

I know we say over and over again "Don't share your personal information online," and we have the Hint Sheet for the Level 1 Communications mission that has a list of 22 different types of personal information you should keep offline. But what about things that aren't on the list? How do you decide if something is too personal for Cyberspace?

As a cyber citizen, you are in control of your online identity and the information you share in Cyberspace. You have to make a judgment call every time you click the button to post or send something, deciding if what you’re about to share is safe or appropriate.

Sometimes this can be a really hard decision to make, so it helps to come up with a list of questions you ask yourself before posting something, a sort of Personal Information Filter.

These are some of the questions I ask myself:

  • Can this information be used to locate or identify me offline?
  • Can this information make it easier for someone to cyberbully me, hack my accounts, or steal my identity?
  • Would I want this information to show up in a search engine's results for my name?
  • Is this something I wouldn't want my grandmother or teacher to see?
  • Is this information that someone could use against me in some way?
  • Is this information that only a few people should know?
  • Is this information that would help someone guess my password?
  • Would this information give someone the wrong impression about me?
  • Is it going to be a problem if I can't take this information back?

If the answer is NO to every question, the information has passed my Personal Information Filter, and I've decided it's safe to share online. You can work with a trusted adult to come up with your own list of questions. If you still have doubts about some information, even if it has passed your filter, it's safest just to keep it offline.

posted by Betty
topics: Personal Information