Jacquelyn C. Olson

SLM 521 – Privacy Online

LEGAL Elective - #17

Ten Suggestions for Protecting Your Online Privacy

Introduction:

I would like everyone to enjoy using the internet technology that our school has provided for us here and the computer access your parents have provided for you at home. To ensure that all of us are safe when we use this technology, I am asking that all of you, my third grade students, follow these safety guidelines when using the internet. You may bring this list home for your parents to see.

1.	When you use the internet, make sure an adult is nearby and has approved the website(s) you are using. There are many websites for users on the internet. Some are for kids, and some are for adults. By following this safety guideline, you will know that the site you are using has been designed for kids your age to use.
2.	Never give out any personal information to a website or a person on the internet. This safety guideline protects your personal privacy. No one should be asking you for your home address, phone number, birth date or any other kind of information you would consider private. No one on the internet needs to know this kind of information about you.
3.	If someone does request personal information about you, GO GET AN ADULT. The ADULT will know what action to take. Do not continue to use this website unless the adult tells you it is OK.
4.	Never open emails from people you do not know. These emails may contain virus’ harmful to your computer. When you open them, the virus infects your computer. Plus, interacting with people you do not know on the internet is never a good idea because it is unsafe.
5.	Sometimes, you will receive a message from a website asking if it is ok to store a cookie on your computer. FIND AN ADULT before you agree to this request. Ask the adult if this action is OK. A cookie can be a way for a website to store your user name and password on your computer so that you do not have to retype this information every time you enter the website. Most cookies are harmless. However, some track your internet use, including the details of the sites you visited. They use this information to send you advertisements for products and services they think you might like to purchase. Make sure an adult sees this type of message, and determines what to do.
6.	If a website is requesting your email address, do not give out this information unless an adult agrees that it is a good idea. Sometimes giving out your personal email address will result in receiving large amounts of junk mail. No one wants junk mail. It clogs your inbox and you will have a difficult time trying to locate the messages you really do want to read.
7.	If a website offers you a prize or reward in exchange for your contact information (meaning your name, address, phone number and/or email address), DO NOT GIVE THIS INFORMATION to them. Most likely, you will not win anything, but junk mail. Most of these contests are phony (pretend), and the company just wants your information to sell to another company. Tell an adult if this happens to you.
8.	If you have a Face book page, or another type of friendship page where you IM your friends to speak to one another, be careful of what you talk about on your post. Although you may delete the details of your conversation, someone else may have irecorded it. And, it may never be completely erased.
9.	On your Face book or friendship page, only speak to those people you know and do not allow anyone that you do not know access to your page. Often times, personal information is shared between friends. Someone that you may not know could be watching your activity, and recording what you say and do. Following this safety guideline will reduce the risk of violating your online safety.
10.	When you communicate on the internet, any conversation, including pictures, profiles and blogs, may be stored indefinitely. This means that when you talk to someone on the internet, send them pictures, or music files, that information may stay on the internet for a very long time. Sometimes, that information is never deleted. Please be careful what you say or do on the internet all the time. Following this guideline will help to keep you safe and online.
11.	If you feel that someone is listening to your conversations that you do not want to, especially strangers, TELL AN ADULT. They will help you remove this person from your friendship group.
12.	If you receive a message asking for your user id, password or account number, DO NOT RESPOND to this email no matter how real the message or company may seem. These messages are bogus, and only seek to steal your personal information. TELL AN ADULT if this happens to you.

Above all, if you should have a conversation with someone or if a website contacts you that you are uncomfortable with TELL AN ADULT!! They will help you. Do not continue to talk with them, or enter their website unless an adult you trust says it is OK. Stay safe and happy webbing.