Oh NO!



You're surfing along, looking for some information on the Civil War, not because you want to, of course, but because your history teacher, grumpy old Ms. Kratchet (who was probably alive then), has demanded that you write an essay on it. You go to favorite search engine, type in some words that you feel will help you get the information, click on the first link you see, and it happens.

You are definitely not looking at photos of Civil War reenactors.

You have stumbled on to an adult pornography site that your school computer filters didn't catch.
This is definitely going on your permanent record, and your parents will be notified. I'm shocked and appalled at your behavior.

No, really, it happens to all of us. Don't panic. If you weren't looking for this stuff on purpose, there won't be any trouble. Here's the four things you need to do.

1. Again, DON'T PANIC!
2. DON'T close the window. Doing this can (and usually will) result in more and more pop-ups and redirects (which will be just as alarming!) until your screen freezes.
3. If you can, power down the monitor, or at least turn down the contrast so the screen goes black. The quicker you can do this the less embarrassment for everyone involved.
4. Get the teacher's (or librarian's) attention, and have them come to your computer, so you can quietly explain the situation. He or she should handle the situation from then on. They might ask you to step away while they resolve the problem. (Oh yeah, one more thing and this is important! If you were working on anything (on a word processor, for example), let the teacher know, so he or she can try to save your work. There is a good chance the computer will have to be restarted.)

Finally, Please remember the consequences for illegal surfing. If you are found guilty of this, it's not uncommon to receive a lifetime ban from school computers. (If you thought research papers were a drag, try writing them without a computer!)
(P.S. Here are those reenactors you were looking for.)