Privacy on the Internet - The Internet is an arena of information. However, it is not anonymous. When you sign on, others have access to you. Your email address, screen name, and password serve as barriers between you and others. You need to maintain this barrier by not giving out private information. There are many out there who would like to know more for various reasons:

• They could want to harm you.

• They could want money

• They could use information to conduct their own business either selling your info or using it in an illegal manner.

If you are under thirteen, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act applies to you. It requires commercial website operators to get parent consent before getting your personal information. It is hoped that this law will help stop website owners who might misuse information they collect from you.

If you are over thirteen, you still need to be careful.

When surfing the Internet, chatting, or emailing make sure to stay safe by:

1. Never give out your first or last name, your parent’s names, your home address, your phone number, birth date, etc.

2. Don’t tell anyone your password.

3. Be careful who you tell your screen name and user Id

4. Use a different screen name from your email address. This way you can prevent some spam.

5. View a website’s Privacy policy to understand how they can use the information you give them.

6. Always ask permission before giving any information out.

7. You should be able to participate in most online activities without giving out information.

8. Log off if personal information is asked for.

9. When you receive an email that is inappropriate delete it and report it. Don’t ask to be removed or click on the removal button. Spammers then send more now that they know this is a real e-mail address.

10. Don’t give out other people’s names or email addresses – you want to protect them also.

11. Don’t register for contests or fill out info to download software.

12. Understand that people aren’t always who they claim to be. Don’t give out information to anyone claiming to be from the Internet company, etc.

13. Email is not always private so don’t put anything in there you might not want to see broadcasted.

Phishing Scam - Phishing is a newer use of technology to exploit information out of others by pretending to be someone else that most people would trust. While it may not seem possible, hackers have figured out ways to make their email messages appear like they have come from anyone they want (somewhat scary). All it takes is a little bit of information about you and these people can start to find more and cause you some real headaches and possibly some problems with your bank/credit cards.

These types of scams have been known to appear to come from your local bank, credit card companies, department store credit cards and the government. All of these companies would never ask for any type of personal information through email because email is not secure and can possibly be read by snoopers on the internet. This is why it is stressed that any personal/private information not be sent through email to anyone on the internet. If you think one of these companies really did send you an email message, your best bet is to call them to verify.

An example of a "phishing" message is an email that appears to come from department@cia.gov telling you that your computer was being investigated for some illegal activities and asking you to fill out some questions on an attachment and send it back to them. This type of message is a scam tactic known as "phishing." If the CIA was really interested in your computer, they could easily just come and take it before you delete stuff from it.