Safe SurfingChat rooms

When someone is posting a message ina chat room, other users have no wayof knowing who that person really is.Though the anonymity of a chat roomcan be liberating—it’s cool to create adifferent identity—some use it as a wayto meet people they want to harm.Never say anything in a chat room thatyou wouldn’t say in public. Many chatrooms have monitors or speakers whomaintain order. These monitors cankick people out of the room forinappropriate behavior.

If you meet someone online and strikeup a good relationship with them, theymay want to go to a private chat room.Most of these rooms are unmonitored.There will be no filter for inappropriateconduct.

Harassment

Not everyone online minds theirmanners. When you are in chat roomsor bulletin boards there is a chance thatyou’ll get messages that are harassing,demeaning, or just plain mean. Justignore them. Some messages, however,may constitute harassment, which is acrime under federal law. If someonesends you messages or images that areobscene, lewd, filthy, or indecent, withthe intent to harass or threaten you,report it to your Internet serviceprovider. One trick to avoid harassmentis to choose a gender-neutral name touse in a chat room and other publicplaces on the Internet.

Take Action� Educate your parents. Take the time to

show your parents what you do online. National CrimePrevention Council

Crime Prevention Tips FromNational Crime Prevention Council1700 K Street, NW, Second Floor

Washington, DC 20006-3817www.weprevent.org

and

The National Citizens’ Crime Prevention Campaign, sponsoredby the Crime Prevention Coalition of America, is substantiallyfunded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of JusticePrograms, U.S. Department of Justice.

Production made possible in partby a grant fromThe American LegionChild Welfare Foundation, Inc.

Show them your Web site, if you haveone. Tell them who you are communi-cating with on a daily basis. Most likelyyou will be teaching your parents somenew tricks.

� Talk to your parents about where youcan go online and how long you canstay online. Also, tell them about activi-ties you participate in online.

� Teach other teens about keeping safe onthe Internet.

� Know your rights—where to reportcrimes and what you can report.

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Cyberspace is agigantic community

of millions, where peopleresearch information forschool, learn aboutmovies, shop, listen tomusic, watch video clips,even develop sites oftheir own. As in anycommunity, there arepeople and places youshould avoid to reduceyour crime risk.

Rules of the Road on the Internet

The best tool you have for screeningmaterial found on the Internet is yourbrain. If you come across sites that arepornographic, full of hate literature, orexcessively violent, move on.

Here are a few reminders for safebrowsing on the World Wide Web:

� Never give out your name, address,telephone number, password, schoolname, parent’s name, pictures of your-self, credit cards, or any other personalinformation to others online.

� Never agree to meet face to face withsomeone you’ve met online without dis-cussing it with your parents. Only ifyour parents decide that it’s okay tomeet your “cyber-friend,” arrange tomeet in a familiar public place, and takean adult with you.

� Never respond to messages from unfa-miliar persons.

� Never enter an area that charges for ser-vices without getting your parents’ per-mission first.

� If you receive pornographic material orthreatening e-mail, save the offensivematerial, tell your parents, and contactthat user’s Internet service provider andyour local law enforcement agency.

The Sites You See (and Visit)E-mail

E-mail is a great way to communicatewith your friends and family. Sometimesyou may receive messages trying to sellyou something or encouraging you tovisit a Web site. It is probably best not

to respond to e-mail from people orgroups you don’t know. These sitesmight be a scam to sell you somethingyou don’t want. Remember, the sendermight not be who he or she seems to be.If you respond, you are confirming thatyou have a valid e-mail address. Thatinformation can encourage the senderto forward inappropriate e-mail or putyour address on even more lists.

Assessing a Web Site

Aside from the fun ways to keep in touch with peo-ple, the Web can be a powerful research tool. But youneed to be able to evaluate the pages you visit toknow whether the information is accurate. As you visitnew sites keep these pointers in mind:

� Look for Web pages that have a proper title, addi-tional resources, a contact person with his or her e-mail address, an announcement of the last timethe page was updated, and current links.

� Know who are the authors or sponsors of the site.What gives them the authority to discuss the issueat hand?

� Know the code. Check the URL (Web site address)to see what the domain name includes: a .com(commercial), a .gov (government), an .org (orga-nization), .net (network), an .edu (educationalorganization), or a two letter country code (coun-try of origin). This will provide an idea of the authoror sponsor of the site. Not all commercial siteswant to sell you something and not all educationalsites will educate you. Be an educated consumeras you sort through the information.

� Know what’s happening. Is the main purpose ofthis site to sell, inform, or persuade you?

� Check with the author first, if you find informationthat you want to use for your research, aboutcopyright privileges and permission.

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