Internet Do's and Don'ts

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Internet safety tips for kidsNever give out identifyinginformation such as Name,Home Address, School Name, orTelephone Number in a publicmessage such as at a chat roomor on bulletin boards. Never senda person a picture of you withoutfirst checking with your parentor guardian.

• Never respond to creepymessages or bulletin boarditems that are:

• Suggestive• Obscene• Looking for a fight• Threatening• Make you feel

uncomfortable

• Be careful when someoneoffers you something fornothing, such as gifts andmoney. Be very careful aboutany offers that involve yourcoming to a meeting or havingsomeone visit your house.

• Tell your parent orguardian right away if youcome across any informationthat makes you feeluncomfortable.

• Never arrange a face toface meeting withouttelling your parent orguardian. If your parent orguardian agree to themeeting, make sure that youmeet in a public place andhave parent or guardian withyou.

• Remember that peopleonline may not be whothey seem. Because youcan’t see or even hear theperson it would be easy forsomeone to misrepresent himor herself. Someone indicatingthat “she is a “12-year-old-girl” could really be an olderman.

• Don’t give out anypersonal information aboutyour self via E-mail unlessyou are sure that you aredealing with someone thatyou and your parents knowand trust.

• Get to know your “onlinefriends” just as you get toknow all of your other friends.

Internet Do’s and Don’ts

DO’S

1. DO use the Internet to helpwith schoolwork. The Internetis a source of great volumesof information. It’s likehaving the world’s largestlibrary at your fingertips.

2. DO use the Internet to“visit” far away places such asmuseums.

3. DO use the Internet tomeet children in othercountries or to keep in touchwith pen pals who live faraway in this country or othercountries.

Some on-line services hostchat rooms especially forchildren, and monitors themperiodically for safety. Youcan safely establish aninternational pen pal throughan existing program sponsoredby your school, and thenexpand your pen palcommunications to theInternet if your pen pal hasaccess to Internet e-mail athis or her school or home.

4. DO be careful about talkingto “strangers” on a computernetwork. Who are thesepeople anyway? Some peoplesay and do things that areNOT NICE.

5. DO respect the privacy ofother users on the Internet,just as you expect your privacyto be respected. How wouldyou feel if someone readyour private e-mail or yourgrades?

6. DO use the Internet tolearn more about universitiesand colleges that you may beinterested in attending.Almost all colleges post someinformation on the Internet.Many colleges let you take a“virtual tour” of the campus,or submit applications foradmission or financial aidapplications on line.

7. DO be careful when you“download” (copy) programsfrom the Internet. Use avirus scan program beforeloading it on your computer.Some programs on theInternet contain viruses thatcan harm your computer.

DON’T’S

1. DON’T give your passwordto anyone. Passwords areintended to protect yourcomputer and your files. It’slike giving the key to yourhouse away!

2. DON’T answer messagesthat make you feel

uncomfortable because theyseem improper, indecent, orthreatening. TELL AGROWN-UP RIGHTAWAY.

3. DON’T give any personalinformation, such as yourname, your family’s address,phone number, credit card orcalling card numbers, yoursocial security number, yourschool’s name, or your pictureto anyone on a computernetwork that you don’tpersonally know.

4. DON’T arrange to meetanyone you’ve met on theInternet without telling yourparents. Some people on theInternet lie, about who theyare, how old they are, andwhy they want to meet you.

5. DON’T steal copyrightedcomputer programs(“software”) by copying itfrom the Internet. This is thesame as stealing it from astore. People work hard todevelop new programs anddeserve to be paid for them.If software designers don’tget paid for their work, theycan’t continue creating newsoftware, such as neweducational games or toolsthat help with schoolwork.

6. DON’T try to break intocomputers. It’s not a game.It’s a crime and it’s aninvasion of privacy. Computersoften contain sensitiveinformation. How would youfeel if someone broke into acomputer and changed your

grades? Deleted your termpaper? Cut off yourtelephone?

7. DON’T make copies of anycopyrighted material, likebooks, magazines, or musicwithout the permission ofthe author, publisher orartist. Copyrighted works areavailable (usually illegally) onthe Internet. You arecommitting a crime if youcopy and distribute them.

8. DON’T copy material thatyou find on the Internet andpretend that it’s your ownwork. It’s the same ascopying a book or magazinearticle and pretending thatyou wrote it. It’s easy to getcaught. Remember yourteacher and thousands ofother students have accessto the same material.

For more information or to file acomplaint contact the Bureau ofConsumer Protection at:

(800) 422-7128

FAX: (608) 224-4939

TTY: (608) 224-5058

E-MAIL:datcphotline@datcp.state.wi.us

WEBSITE:http://datcp.state.wi.us/

(Information taken from the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation and U.S. Department of Justicewebsites.)

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