From our friends at the FTC -- http://lnk.ms/2qkwr Posted at 5:36 PM Oct 29 view more
As National Cyber Security Month comes to a close, I realized that we could all do what we usually do when we raise awareness around a cause – we highlight the things we should do, the ways we should act, the donations we should make – all at the launch of the event. And then, the celebration comes to an end and we all move on. It’s kind of like when summer turns to fall and then to winter and then to spring… we move on to the next season and in this case the next important cause.
Let’s do something a little different this time around. As National Cyber Security Month comes to a close, let’s work together to make it part of every season of the year. Let’s use the lessons learned, the new awareness we have to protect our information and selves online throughout the coming year and beyond. And, while we are at it, let’s keep raising awareness with those around us – our parents and kids, our aunts, uncles, and siblings, and our friends and colleagues.
Do your part with every click you make – think of these tips to protect your identity, your finances, and your privacy:
· Create a strong password that you update regularly. Strong passwords are usually at least eight characters with a number and a special character such as an "&" or "@".
· Make your MySpace password different from other online sites. Keeping your password the same for all sites could make your accounts more at risk for hacking.
· Don't trust Web sites that ask you to enter your MySpace username and password until you have assured that the site is legitimate.
· Log in via MySpace.com. This will help prevent being redirected to a phishing site.
· Always be aware of suspicious emails, especially if the sender is requesting account information.
· Don't click on unknown links embedded in an email.
· Keep anti-virus and anti-spyware systems up-to-date to help prevent your chances of receiving spam and viruses.
So, with every change in our seasons, help us spread the word by reminding your friends, loved ones, and colleagues of the basic tips listed above and on our safety site.
And at MySpace, we’re doing our part as well by building technical defenses that stop spammers and phishers from getting to you in the first place and by blocking them from taking you places you don’t want to go. We’re also going after them using the power of the law and law enforcement. Recently we won a $230 million judgment against some notorious spammers and worked with law enforcement to prosecute hackers and phishers.
For additional educational sites covering online security, visit the National Cyber Security Alliance, Department of Homeland Security and OnGuardOnline.
At MySpace we recognize that parents are the first line of defense when protecting their teens and teaching them about online safety, security, and privacy. We also realize that in today’s cyber connected world, everyone can play an important part – parents, teachers, and social media companies like ours. And so, we’ve spent the past several years building education programs on our site and through our partnerships to help us advance that mission.
And now, as our teens get their back to school shopping done with new clothes, new pencils, new notebooks, and new cell phones, it’s time once again for parents to step up and re-embrace the role they have always had offline into their teens’ online worlds – and that is of teaching our kids to be tolerant and respectful and not to be the school cyber bully or cyber hater.
This role isn’t just for parents to embrace, teachers too must step up and embrace the same mission. In fact, Congress just recently passed a law requiring schools to teach online safety.
For most schools this means teaching their students the “don’t do’s”. Don’t talk to a stranger online, don’t meet someone in person you don’t already know, don’t post something you aren’t willing to share with the entire school.
And, here are just a few “don’t do’s” we’ve talked about:
* Don’t say you’re older than you are. It violates our Terms of Service, and we’ve built safety and privacy features to help you that work best when we know how old you really are.
* Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want the world to know.
* Don’t get together with someone you “meet” online unless you’re certain of their identity.
* Don’t get hooked by a phishing scam.
You can read more of our tips online.
That said, we have an opportunity here that teachers and parents can embrace and that is to teach our teens the “how to’s”. How to text with respect, how to post photos that show the good in your friends, how to stop the spread of hurtful comments.
And, here are just a few “how to’s” to get us all started:
* How to post with respect: photos are a great way to share wonderful experiences. If you’re posting a photo of you and your friends, put yourself in your friends’ shoes and ask would your friends want that photo to be public to everyone. If yes, then you’re uploading photos with respect.
* How to comment with kindness: compliments are like smiles, they’re contagious. When you comment on a profile, share a kind word, others will too.
* How to update with empathy: sharing updates lets us tell people what we think. When you give an opinion on your status updates, show empathy towards your friends and help them see the world with understanding eyes.
You can read more of our information for parents.
It’s a start and we can still teach the don’t do’s. But, when coupled with the how to’s, we will nurture our teens to know how to protect themselves, how to be empathetic towards their fellow students, and how to become leaders in the digital world.
The task is simple and the future for our teens is a bright one.
So, let’s join together to do our part to create a world of cyber students that embrace the don’t do’s and the how to’s to become responsible cyber citizens
Read this and other MySpace blogs in our new Press Room.
Recently, I was driving back from a weekend soccer tournament with my then 8 year old daughter. Not surprisingly, we hit Los Angeles freeway traffic much like every other Sunday night in the LA area when everyone is hurrying back from Santa Barbara, Las Vegas, San Diego, or San Francisco.
“Oh look, a candy cane,” announced a sleepy voice from the back seat.
I started to think my daughter, who had fallen asleep in the back seat, was going to show me a candy cane she found hidden away somewhere in her soccer backpack. Instead, she leaned forward and pointed straight ahead. I looked at all the billboards, but didn’t see any sweet red and white candy anywhere. I looked at the hills surrounding the freeway, still no sweetness anywhere.
A bit frustrated, my daughter said it again, “No, no, look at the cars – they look just like a candy cane, yummy!”
And there before me curving into the hills, intertwined in all the cars moving ahead of me with their red brake lights and all the cars coming towards me with their white head lights, was the sweet image of a red and white candy cane made of mint and sugar.
I smiled.
“See, I told you!” my daughter said with confidence, as she slowly leaned back and began to rest comfortably again.
I thought for a moment and suddenly the rush of traffic had turned into the peace of kids enjoying their favorite holiday candy.
It’s all a matter of perspective – just like when you think about approaching your teens about safety and privacy. In your mind, you might be wondering whether your child will think you’re intruding in their online space, so you decide not to say anything. But maybe that’s just your perspective – dividing up the online from the offline and treating them differently. We all have no problem teaching our teens about driving safely and not talking to strangers in the offline world. For kids and teens, it is just one world – no distinctions, no separation. So why not approach it from their perspective. They have let you guide them before, they will do it again.
Get empowered. Learn about our safety and privacy features and talk to your teens about some of the tools they can use to guard their privacy and be safer online.
And remember, it’s all a matter of perspective.
MySpace is for teens 13 and older.
As a parent myself, I understand your concerns about online safety, and also the challenges involved in monitoring online activity.
I want you to know that working in conjunction with law enforcement, attorneys general, and child safety experts, we have introduced many programs and policies to MySpace to provide our users with a safer online experience. One of these policies involves reviewing images uploaded to MySpace. Any image that is suspected to be associated with child exploitation is immediately forwarded to NCMEC's CyberTipline.
Images containing nudity, porn, excessive violence, and hate speech are also deleted.
Remember, you are the first line of defense when it comes to protecting your teens online.
Here are some of the resources that we have found and developed to keep your teen safe on MySpace.
This is a joint statement with 49 attorney generals outlining our commitment and efforts towards online
child safety.
If you would like to contact me, you can send me a message here.
Jamie Schumacher
RAINN RAINN
Oprah Winfrey
Department Justice
HACSET Houston
Pasadena PAL
Comments
Oct 29 2009 4:39 PM
Oct 23 2009 4:22 PM
Oct 16 2009 8:21 PM
Jacqueline
Oct 12 2009 5:49 PM
I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU AND ALL YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS-BEST WISHES ALWAYS !
WILL YOU PLEASE READ MY ENTIRE PROFILE AND KNOW THAT YOUR POSITIVE ENGERY IN MY LIFE. YOUR AN AWESOME "MYSPACE" FRIEND~THANK YOU!
Oct 12 2009 5:48 PM
Sep 29 2009 11:25 PM
Tucmuc
Aug 5 2009 9:31 PM
Thank you so much Hemu
Jul 27 2009 11:02 PM
VISION COMPLEX
Jul 27 2009 6:37 PM
Jul 23 2009 5:58 PM
please e-mail us elsie@childofthekinginc.org
Jul 16 2009 8:24 PM
Jun 29 2009 12:15 PM
Jun 23 2009 10:24 AM
You, ve fantastyc page!
Much Blessings
Alikee
Jun 13 2009 2:18 AM
Jun 14 2009 7:07 AM
Jun 10 2009 1:40 AM
Jun 8 2009 11:51 PM
Jun 8 2009 9:47 PM
fabulous job you are doing!
I had to recently nudge a neighbor of mine to check his 14 year old daughter's page,
so he could see what was really going on in her life. he didnt even know she had a myspace.
Thank you
much love & gratitude
Pam, Kelli's mom
3rd interview i've done about Kell's myspace page
if you wait till the end- you will hear the anchors say it's the best story they've
ever heard about myspace
Jun 8 2009 9:14 PM
Jun 8 2009 7:03 PM
Peace & Light,
James
May 22 2009 9:33 AM
May 19 2009 5:29 PM
Thank you for adding me! And thank you for working with Microsoft as you did (Child Safe Computing). Although I've never had children, I am very guarded about them. We would have little in the way of a future without them (and I don't mean just their physical presence). Don't you miss sunny Seattle??? (Except today's heavy overcast).
Anywho, thanks again for adding me. And your MySpace page does have an appealing layout as I noticed someone else commented. Mine is just a mess. (Incidentally, glad to see someone else still shoots film. Although I have a Sony DSLR, I broke out the ol' Minolta Maxxum 9 the other day - heavy! Miss shooting slides).
Frank
May 6 2009 1:42 AM
Hope you will participate in our celebration of learning and leave a comment about a teacher who made a difference in your life.
Peace,
John/M.U.S.I.C.
“Learning is finding out what you already know. Doing is demonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as you. You are all learners, doers, and teachers.”
~ Richard Bach, "Illusions"
Apr 15 2009 2:03 AM
Mar 17 2009 11:14 PM