Internet Safety

Unfortunately, along with the explosion new information and virtually endless resources that the Internet delivers, along with it comes a great deal of potential dangers. And these dangers exist for people of all ages. From young children just getting to know how to use a keyboard and surf the Web to seasoned business executives who hop on the Internet on a daily basis to conduct business, everyone needs to be extremely mindful of Internet safety. And it’s especially important to note that along with the constant evolution of industry technology comes potentially new Internet hazards to be wary of. Just because you read something a month ago that helped you avoid some tragedies on the Web doesn’t mean those methods are still current. There are plenty of malicious entities out there who are constantly in search of new ways to steal information, cheat people out of money and manipulate people in countless other ways.

One of the biggest factors regarding online safety is identity fraud. This malicious enterprise involves individuals and independent entities trolling different sites for any type of identifying information. This type of online identity theft can occur through several different ways. They may passively look for information such as e-mails, names, and addresses on different forums throughout the Web. They then take this information and use it against you by purchasing products directly, selling your personal information to third party vendors and sites. One of the best ways to prevent falling into such a trap is to look for the verification symbol at the bottom right of a webpage. This symbol looks like a padlock and relays the message “Authenticated by VeriSign, Inc.” when you mouse over it. Also, you should avoid providing personal information such as birth date and last name as much as possible. If you would really like to buy a product or service but are unsure if the site is legitimate, you can try looking for a phone number to call so you can get a live body on the phone to verify. This reticence should include being very careful with providing your credit card information.

And something else that people take for granted all too often is passwords. You should always choose passwords that do not share any common words with obvious links such as your name, address, pets or even the college you attended. The more random they are the better. You should also continuously remind and educate your children about internet safety.