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Internet Safety
== There are many dangerous things on the internet, so there are many precautions that you must take before using the internet because there are many people in the world who use the internet in bad way. ==

**Facebook and Passwords**
On facebook and other cites it is very important to keep your password to yourself. If one person finds out your password they could tell many other people, and then one person could also find out all of your private information. It is also very important to make a password that has capital letters, numbers, and symbols in it so that nobody can guess or hack your password. If somebody gets your facebook password they could chat people while pretending to be you, and then make you seem like a bad person. On facebook, it is also very important to not put any personal information up there, or write anything that you could later regret because once its on the internet, you can never take it back.

**Harassment and Cyberbullying** There are many ways in which a person can be harassed and cyberbullied. Harassment can happen anywhere, not just on the internet. However, it is most common to happen on the internet. And cyberbullying is when you are being bullied via internet. On the internet people can say many hurtful things, but they use the internet to say them because they are too scared to actually say it in person. The people use the computer as a shield because on the internet they feel like they have more power. The people are really just cowards who are too scared to confront somebody in person. The best thing to do if you’re being cyberbullied is to tell the person to stop, and then tell an adult.

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Sexting Sexting is when two people send explicit texts or pictures. Many times people feel threatened that they have to send the explicit picture of them, but many times they send it willingly. After people send the pictures, they can never take it back. Whoever receives the picture can do whatever they want with it. After somebody sees the picture that was sent, they could bully the person about it. This mainly applies to teens, because they can feel pressured by others to participate in sending explicit pictures, but teens need to learn that it is never a good idea to do that.

**Phishing, Scams, & Email** Phishing is when you receive an email that is designed to steal your money. They can email you something that is intended for you to click and download something that could put a virus on your computer. Some cybercriminals will even make a fake bank that convinces you to give out all of your private information. To detect if the link that you are receiving is a scam put your mouse over the link and see what hyperlink really comes up. Because many times, the cybercriminal will rename the hyperlink to a common website so that you will click it, and then a virus will appear on your computer.



**Bank account info & identity theft** If a person has access to your bank account information then they could very easily steal your identity. Because if a person knows your social security number, credit card numbers, and bank account password then they could take your money from you without ever being in contact with you. Once they have all this information they can pretend to be you. To protect this information make sure that your bank account is always secured. Also never fall for those adds that tell you to enter in your bank account information and social security number, because no legitimate bank would ever have those.

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**Instant Messaging, Chatrooms, Sexual Predators** Sexual Predators are very common to find their next victim through instant messaging and chatrooms. In chat rooms or on instant messaging a sexual predator will chat you and pretend to be a boy or girl who is near your age. They will slowly ask you more and more personal questions until they know enough information about you to come and find you. They will also probably ask if they can see you and meet you soon. Nobody should ever agree to meet a person that they met on the internet, and should never give out personal information to them. If a person on the internet is asking too many personal questions, then that person should report it to an adult.

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For all ages there are many precautions that they should take while on the internet. They are different for each age group though. Here are the main ones:

Under 5 Always go on the computer with an adult by your side. Also, you should never click one of the popups that are on the side of the screen. 6-12 years Teens 20 somethings 50s 70s
 * Always ask a parent before going on the internet
 * Don’t give out private information to people that you don’t know
 * Never give your password to anybody
 * Don’t click popups
 * Never send explicit pictures of yourself to other people
 * Don’t give out personal information to people through the internet
 * Never agree to meet anybody that you met through chatrooms or instant messaging
 * Don’t enter in your social security on the internet
 * Never put your bank information on other websites
 * Watch out for phishing emails
 * Don’t believe those popups that say that you could win a contest, those contests are never real they just want your private information
 * Never enter your social security number on websites
 * Watch out for emails that are intended for phishing
 * Keep your bank account information to yourself

Sources: http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/ http://www.att.com/Common/images/safety/game.html http://www.ncpc.org/resources/files/pdf/internet-safety/NCPC-FactSheet1.pdf http://www.elmer.ca/downloads/colouring/InternetSafety3.pdf

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