Online Safety & Netiquette

FLA ONLINE SAFETY TIPS

Never give any personal information to anyone you meet online. That means first or last names, phone numbers (they can be used to track down you home), passwords, birth dates or years, or credit card information.

Never meet up with anyone you don’t already know. Don’t tell anyone your schedule; don’t say where you’ll be hanging out. No party announcements. People are often not who they say they are.

Don’t fill out any “fun” questionnaires that are forwarded to you, even if they’re from your friends.Remember, you’re in a world where everything can get forwarded. All those personal things about you could land in the hands of someone who could use them to harm you.

Make sure you know everyone on your friends list. If you haven’t met the people face-to-face, they may not be who they pretend to be. Also, Instant Messaging strangers is an invasion of their privacy.

You do not have to answer emails or IM’s from people you don’t know. As a matter of fact, you shouldn’t. Who knows who they are? Even if they say they’re “David’s friend,” David could be a lucky guess.

There’s no such thing as “private” on the Internet. You may think so, but it’s not true. People can find anything they want — and keep what you post — forever.

Be careful about posting pictures of yourself (if you must, don’t inappropriate ones or ones showing behavior you wouldn’t want your mom, teacher, boss, or potential college advisor to see). Just because an older sibling has posted snaps on a site doesn’t make it a smart or a safe idea. Pictures with identifiers like where you go to school can be shopping lists for online predators and other strangers.

Don’t send pictures of other people. Forwarding an embarrassing picture of someone else is a form of (Cyber) bullying. Remember, at FLA, we are dedicated to creating and interacting in a safe space virtually and in-person as well. All are welcomed at the Freedom Leadership Academy (FLA). That’s why we call it—FREEDOM!

Don’t download content without your parents’ permission. Many sites have spyware that will damage your computer. Other sites have really inappropriate content. Your parents can check your computer’s URL history, so you can’t hide where you’ve been.

Never share your password with anyone but your parents.

Remember that once you post information online, you can’t take it back. Even if you delete the information from a site, older versions exist on other people’s computers.

Make sure your screen name doesn’t say too much about you. Don’t use your name, your age, or your hometown. Even if you think your screen name makes you anonymous, it doesn’t take a genius to combine clues to figure out who you are and where you can be found.

Be smart when posting your photo. It can be altered and broadcast in ways that are not a true reflection of the awesome, outstanding scholar that you are. Anytime you post a photo, ask yourself whether it’s one your mom would display in the living room or one that you would want to show to someone you’ve never met before.

Be careful what you say. It may catch up to you in the future. While it may not affect you now, a post could foil a job opportunity. Employers and colleges do read up on their applicants. (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Blog)

Tips 1-3, 5,6,8  from Google.com/internet_safety