Sunday, January 16, 2011
Safe Internet
Researching online criminals and their habits has led me to realize that the Internet can be an extremely scary place, especially for children (children being an individual under the age of 18). Often times, people let their guard down and don't realize how easy it can be for a predator to take advantage of them. Social networking sites, chat rooms, instant messenger, email, among others, are avenues that predators can use to potentially exploit, manipulate, or simply make other feel uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, not every person on social networking sites, chats, or whatever, is a predator. Nor will every person who frequents these sites even come into contact with a predator. However, online crimes are growing rapidly. I have seen first-hand, with my work and studies, the significant volume of "bad guys" lurking on the Internet. These guys are skilled at manipulating, acting like they are "normal" and know exactly what they are doing. Sometimes they just want to "talk dirty" with a child (or other adults), sometimes they want photographs, and sometimes they want to arrange a meeting. My advice, keep your GUARD UP when you meet a stranger online. This goes to children AND adults. You never know who is really on the other end of the computer. When online, you can be whoever you want to be, and say whatever you feel. Be careful. I am not in any way knocking social networking sites. I love the Internet. I am on it day in and day out. And yes, I am one who looks at Facebook on my phone. I just want to spread the message to adults and children alike, to be SAFE on the Internet. People need to realize there are dangers, however, with the proper knowledge, you can be safe and avoid those online bad guys! And if you feel you, or someone you know, is being harassed, victimized, or if an adult is talking to a child inappropriately, please contact your local law enforcement, or report on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Cyber TipLine http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2936
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Since this is your major area of concentration, whats your thoughts on shows like "To Catch A Predator," just always wondered how someone who has firsthand info and experience in this area always viewed that show.
ReplyDeleteI think shows which bring to light what these guys are doing, is a great thing. I think a lot of people feel if I don't see it and I don't hear about it, then it doesn't exist. But that isn't reality. The reality is that hundreds of thousands of children are falling victim (I plan to have a later post depicting some stats of how much child pornography, child victims, etc). Obviously, To Catch a Predator is for entertainment...but I think it does a good job of showing who these guys are...which is so important. These guys are the "dirty old guy" anymore...truth is, they are doctors, lawyers, professors, 18/19/20 year olds, etc etc etc! So I like the show. They show has helped law enforcement put many perverts in jail, and I think that is so awesome!
ReplyDeleteThose shows where they "solve" a crime in an hour or less, and can find the pedophile within minutes because they have this "high tech tools" and databases that can track anyone..yea, I don't like those so much.
Thank you for setting up your blog, Rachel - looks good so far! I look forward to more resources and tips on Internet safety. For now, I'd like to ask you to use links in texts rather than posting URLs. So, in your post, the words "National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Cyber TipLine" should be linked to the destination URL.
ReplyDeleteHappy blogging!