More often than not, children are the biggest security breach in this case. While adults have often been victims of phishers as well, children are often in a greater area of danger because of their inexperience and lack of knowledge. As in the old days, teaching your children to defend themselves is one of the best things you can do to avoid this problem.

Here are a few things to do:

1) Explain Phishing to Your Kids – let your children know about phishing. Explain to them that people CAN pretend to be your business associates or government representatives online, and that they should NEVER give out any information to someone they don’t know.

2) Drill Your Children in Anti Phishing Procedures – aside from refusing to give information, treat this as you would the old case of what you teach your children to do when approached by strangers: that they should contact you if you’re available, or play safe and run away (go offline and disconnect the Internet) if the stranger is persistent. Also remember that phishers can come in many forms, even over something as harmless seeming as an online game.

3) Install Simple Firewalls and a Computer Activity Monitor – these two programs are essential. While they may not prevent the actual act of a person getting information from your kids via phishing, they provide their own security measures as well. Firewalls insure that, in case your children accept a harmless seeming survey form, no viruses or worms get inserted into your PC. Also, in the event that a phisher manages to get information from your kids, a system activity monitor program will allow you to trace what happened while you were gone, so that you can forward the recorded information over to your local police if you wish to have them investigate what happened.

4) Know and Teach your Children about Alternate Phishing Methods – Phishing does not simply involve people trying to access your information by contacting you and your children online. There are other, more indirect methods that they can employ, so make sure your children (and you yourself!) keep aware of the following:

Link Name Manipulation – this is a common trick used by some phishers. They take the name of a famous and trustworthy site and alter it’s name slightly to appear, at a casual glance, like the original site. A common trick used is to substitute a small letter “L” for a capital “i” in the name, or to replace a capital “o” with a zero “0″. Aside from these simple naming tricks, placing an extension at the end or middle of a URL, like say, sitename.com.realname.com, is another common way of masking a hidden site. These sites will often sport a front page that looks almost exactly like the home page of the site they’re mimicking, and as soon as you enter your user name and password, the phishers will have it on file and you’re in trouble.

Phone Phishing – sometimes, in an offer to “validate” themselves, phishers will offer to call the victim’s home to “prove” that they exist and have a “physical office” (As if you could see that over a phone! You’d be surprised at the number of people who fall for this though). As above, remind your children that this does NOT prove anything, and they should avoid any offers of such contact. Under no circumstances are they to give the home number, and if the caller already knows it and calls but you have caller ID, have them take the number down on paper for the authorities.

5) Anti Phishing Programs – there are a few licensed anti phishing programs that interact with most major firewalls. Get the latest one. These will have the names and locations of known phishing sites, as well as the programs commonly used by phishers to build their sites. These licensed programs also update themselves from their own secure websites on a constant basis to keep up to date with any changes and new information. This added security acts like a firewall or antivirus program but is dedicated to blocking, detecting, and tracing phishers.

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The age of Web 2.0 has also turned the Internet into a soundboard for the world’s whines and pains, as blogs, diaries, and e-books proliferate. As the information age comes, so does the age of uncensored free expression, where everyone and anyone can post his or her thoughts online, in any shape, manner, or form.

As the once valued prize of privacy is constantly being violated online, and as the lack of private thoughts is lauded on the very much open World Wide Web, the privacy of Internet users is becoming more and more an issue. Credit card theft runs rampant on the Internet, due to the ability of hackers to get into home computers and bank records to retrieve the information they need. Whole websites can be destroyed by malicious software. Students lose years of information and files when their computers are damaged by viruses.

There is a privacy of a different sort at play when Internet usage is concerned. It involves the right of every human being to read, view, and listen to what they want online. This privacy is something that every website owner holds dear, hence the lack of inhibitions on the Internet. Anyone interested in reading more about the Middle Ages is given a chance to do so, thanks to various history-related websites that feature timelines, footage of reenactments, and even pictures of important historical sites. Anyone who wants to cook can do so, and well, thanks to online culinary courses, and free recipes.

At the same time, anyone who wants to read or view pornographic materials can do so on one of the millions of pornography websites available online. Anyone who wants to see footage of child prostitutes can do so through websites linked to the sex trade. Anyone who wants to steal your credit card, your children, and your life can find a link to you, hunt you down, and do what they want with you and your possessions.

All these claims may seem overblown, but with the lack of restrictions online, and lack of security of most websites, they aren’t entirely unfounded. According to research, over a quarter of all families surveyed become victims of credit card fraud and identity theft because their children were preyed on by seemingly trustworthy online thieves.

Thousands of children are kidnapped each year by predators who introduce themselves as well-meaning adults in forums or chat rooms. Even more children are abused, sold to the slave or sex trades, or exploited.

So should you violate your child’s right to see what he or she wants online? The answer is a resounding yes. You as the parent have the right to safeguard your child’s interests, and it is certainly in your best interest to protect your child from disturbing images, lewd materials, and possible predators. It is your duty to raise your child in the best way possible, and to do everything in your power to give your child the chance to be a better member of society.

You also have the duty to monitor your child’s computer activities, which is especially important if your child has his or her own computer, and his or her own unlimited access to the Internet. You may get into quarrels with your child, so be persuasive, not defensive or combative. You must explain briefly how your intrusion is for his or her own good.

How do you check your child’s computer activities? An easy way would be to check your child’s history folder, which you can access through the Internet browser. Through this, you can see what files and sites your child has accessed and when. Your child, however, may constantly erase the contents of his or her history folder. If you check your child’s computer regularly and find that this is the case, check the Internet options to see if your child has set the computer to never store items in the history folder. If the computer has been set to store items, but the history folder is empty, then you may have to confront your child. Incessant erasing of history folder items may be a sign that your child is accessing pornographic sites.

You may also need to check your child’s email, especially his or her deleted items, which can contain items that are being hidden, out of parents’ reach. If you have the time, check any recently downloaded or saved files, and see the nature of these files. All of these measures may be difficult to do if your child’s computer has a password, or if certain files are hidden or hard to find, but you will certainly find a way to investigate your child’s activities as a caring, helping parent.

The Internet may be a cruel world for a child to walk through, but if you have the right principles and the heart of a truly devoted parent, then you can walk through this world together. All you need is perseverance and patience, and the ability to monitor your child’s activities, so that his or hers, and consequently, your privacy is protected.

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This revolution in information technology and presentation comes with its own disadvantages. Not all information presented online is true or edited, and nothing can surpass power of a real encyclopedia or reference book in terms of veracity of the information presented. Not all online forums seeking to help people are populated by experts or, much less, decent Internet users. Not all websites are safe to access, and not all files that you download from the Internet are free from malicious programs that can give hackers access to your computer.

Our children are the greatest beneficiaries of computer and online technology, and they are certainly its greatest victims. While the Internet can help your primary school student look for facts on Thailand, it may lead him or her to sites that advertise on the country’s teeming sex trade.

While the World Wide Web can allow your secondary school student to do research on stem cells, it may ask for his or her credit card to purchase certain articles or books – only to turn the tables on you and allow hackers access to the credit card itself. The Internet is home to information as well as dangers, and in order to protect your children best, you will need to know the dangers.

• Because children are easily impressionable and can easily place their trust in someone who does good things for them, many ill-meaning people can prey on them and ask them to give information that they shouldn’t. Such predators operate at many levels, and on many sites.

They can come to forums in the guise of someone who can counsel teenagers or help children with their homework. They can come to chat rooms and introduce themselves as grandfathers or grandmothers who want to learn about the Internet.

Predators come in many forms, but their aim will be the same: they will use children for their own selfish ends. They can ask children important information about the children’s parents, leading the way for the predator to break into the house or office and steal important, valuable items. They can ask children to meet them, leading the children to be kidnapped and sold off to the sex or slave trade.

• Child pornography, despite the efforts of international governments, has shown no signs of slowing down. More and more children are lured by child pornographers to pose for lewd pictures, participate in indecent, often disturbing acts, and ultimately destroy their fragile childhood. Like predators, pornographers will prey on children’s innocence, and pose as trustworthy people.

• Purchasing items through online merchants can make shopping easier, especially for housewives who have no time to hop over to the nearest grocery store or mall for things they might need. Online transactions, however, require credit card numbers and addresses, along with other important contact information.

Not all sites are created equal. Site security is becoming more of an issue as identity thieves have stepped up in their efforts to hack into accounts, steal money, and use stolen credit cards to make their transactions. Many online merchants keep a constant vigilant watch over their sites in order to ensure that no hackers enter and steal credit card numbers.

Not all Internet sites and users, however, have the technology to recognize hackers or thieves. Children will usually be the target of such people, as the online medium offers the cloak of invisibility that thieves need to dupe their victims.

By posing as someone who works for a child’s father, or an aunt needing money desperately, or even a schoolmate who has met an accident, identity thieves can get credit card numbers from children. Hackers can also access a computer and fetch important information from it, thanks to their techniques of making children believe in their trustworthiness.

The Internet is an exciting marketplace, but it is also a dangerous one. Children are among its greatest victims. The Internet revolutionizes lives, and it can also change them, sometimes for the worse.

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As the centuries passed, people were granted greater access to information, until our modern day scholars decided to make things easier for everyone.

From libraries stocking books in order, we moved to databases that stored information in a way that it could be stored, searched through, and retrieved. These databases and the way they were managed were brought online, where they came to the Information Superhighway. The Internet has since revolutionized the way that knowledge is accessed, and has given people from all over the world a chance to learn more and do more.

People are also now, more than ever, eager to share their expertise on specialized subjects, and help out those in need through the ease of online communication. What are some of the advantages offered by the Internet?

• Some sites offer knowledge and information for free or a minimal fee. The online free encyclopedia Wikipedia, for instance, has allowed users to post their knowledge on certain topics, and has given users the chance to access this knowledge as they would a real encyclopedia. There are also many other sites that offer information for free, such as science sites offering modules that science teachers can use when performing experiments, or clothing sites offering online courses in fashion design.

• Not all libraries carry the books that we need, so online merchants such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble sell books, allowing more people all over the world to buy them. With the advent of the electronic book, or e-book, people can now read books on their computers without having to pick a real heavy book up.

• Knowledge is offered in different media, depending on the learning abilities of those who need information. If a person is more visual, he or she can choose to watch a video or read an online book or pamphlet on the information he or she needs. If a person learns better through listening, however, he or she can choose to listen to audio files. This flexibility and versatility of the Internet has allowed more people to learn in the format that they want and are most comfortable with.

The beneficiaries of this technology are undoubtedly our children. They will have an easier time doing their research for school, since information is easy to retrieve online. They can buy the books they need if their local libraries don’t have them. They can learn through all means possible.

These benefits, however, come with their own risks, and we as parents are caught in the middle of a war between free speech and censorship. While there are thousands of students who benefit from the knowledge offered by the Internet, there are also thousands more who become victims of predators, such as credit card thieves or worse, pedophiles. While there are thousands of students in developing countries who find their minds opened constantly by their exposure to new mindsets and cultures, there are thousands more who find themselves duped by once trustworthy people online.

If you have a child who uses the Internet constantly, then you may want to take note of these disadvantages to better monitor your child’s Internet use.

• While information is easier to retrieve online, it can also encourage your child to simply cut and paste information, with little or no effort devoted to analysis. This can make your child lazy, and may even lead to your child being accused of plagiarism by perceptive teachers.

• Not all information online is true, and not all information online is edited. This has led to many schools banning the use of online sources and Wikipedia as references in important reports and assignments.

• Many online help forums are actually a venue for child predators to stalk new victims. Because children and teenagers often seek affirmation and help from people outside their family circle, they are more susceptible to such attacks.

• Pornography is rife online, and some multimedia sites may actually contain pornographic or disturbing images or footage. While your child learns from useful multimedia files, he or she may also be traumatized or wrongly indoctrinated if he or she accesses the wrong ones.

The Internet has its advantages and disadvantages, and we as parents have the right to be alarmed and vigilant. The wealth of information online has also allowed wrongdoing to proliferate, and we can often find ourselves caught in the middle. All that we can do is protect our children, and make sure that they have access to real books and research materials, so that they don’t have to rely completely on online sources for their work.

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