bls31
May 8th, 2009, 09:25 PM
ARE WE CYBER SAFE
I would have been by now richer that Ambani brothers had I collected the winnings that I have made on the net or agreed to the transfer of millions of Dollars from some dormant accounts discovered by my, unknown to me, well-wishers overseas to my account in India.
I would also have been down by a few thousand dollars had I responded to some of my dear friends stranded in Hotels in South Africa or Australia among others places , though very much in their houses.
Coming to a more serious issue, it so happened that I had an invite to speak on the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day falling on the coming 17 May on this years ITU theme
“Protecting Children in Cyberspace”
While discussing the approach to the talk with a friend, I learnt that his grandson, about seven years or so old, till recently active in playing and outdoor games has got addicted to down loading games from various sites on the NET and playing for hours together.
While struck in the traffic jam with the snail paced crawling queue in the AF canteen, sandwiched between the grocery outflowing baskets of an elderly lady in the rear and those of some one being guarded by a bright young girl. We struck a conversation , she a student of Ix class in a local school casually asked me
‘Uncle do you Chat?
‘ I don’t Chat and I don’t SMS. I replied..
‘Uncle I have 400 friends.’ She announced with obvious pride.
‘You have to be careful while on net; you have no idea who is chatting with you, it could be some one my age masquerading as a young girl of eight or ten.’
My cautioning promptly deflated her and she slowly nodded in agreement.
There is a King Salome’s Mine out there in the Cyber Space with a horde of Gold nuggets of all possible knowledge and information one may require. Also there is a Jungle out there with all possible species of predators looking for innocent victims like you and me.
The enormity of the issue became more and more acute as I started surfing the net with focus on material for making it safe for the children.
With some of us being fortunate enough to have children/grand children under our guardianship. However they being of an impressionable age, it becomes our responsibility and we would be failing in our duty if we do not make them aware of the perils of indiscriminate surfing and chatting on the net and do not to guide them how to safely navigate the cyber space..
SO WHAT CAN WE DO ?
There are basically two ways to filter children's access to the Net. One is through installing suitable software in one's PC and the other is to subscribe to an ISP that provides the facility
. * Blocking software - It uses a 'bad site' list and blocks access to these sites them for 'bad site' lists.
* Filtering software - It fills the gap between the reviewed 'bad sites' and the mass of other websites on the Net keywords.
* Outgoing filtering - This software helps parents prevent a child from sharing personal information that the child might be subtly seduced into revealing. '
* Monitoring and tracking - This allows parents to track where their children go online and how much time they spend there and how much time they spend offline on the computer, playing games, for instance.
Net Nanny, Cyberpatrol, Cybersitter and Surfwatch are some of the software that serve as effective blocking, filtering and monitoring devices.
While dealing with children and their safety in cyberspace, it is vital for parents and the people in charge of content to note that their levels of maturity, understanding and cognition vary as they grow up and this, in turn, will affect the manner in which they relate to this medium.
Age 2 to 4 - This is the age when children start interacting with the computer and it is obviously in the presence of a parent, sibling or teacher..
Age 4 to 7 - Children begin to explore the computer independently, but it is important for parents to consider restricting access only to appropriate sitesAge 7 to 10 - This is the age when children begin to look outside the family for social recognition. The building of peer pressure starts now.
Age 10 to 12 - Children start experiencing more independence at this stage and simultaneously start using the Internet. It is essential to help them manage their independence and time spent on the Net. It is wise to set limits and make sure they engage in other activities as well.
Age 12 to 14 - This is the stage when sexual awareness and curiosity begin. Close parental help and involvement are vital as during this period, children get interested in online chat and if left unmonitored, could start socialising more in cyberspace.
Age 14 to 17 - Children are now almost young adults. They are mature physically, emotionally and intellectually. As they are anxious to enjoy greater independence, this is a challenging phase for parents. It is also a stage when youth like to take risks.
But, whatever the age group, it is essential for parents and other people involved with children to get computer savvy themselves.
There are quite a few organisations around the world that are working towards the goal of protecting children in cyberspace and can be accessed at :
http://www.cyberabgels.org
http://www.rsac.org
http://www.getnetwise.org
with some abstracts from - The HINDU August 13 2001
BLS 31
I would have been by now richer that Ambani brothers had I collected the winnings that I have made on the net or agreed to the transfer of millions of Dollars from some dormant accounts discovered by my, unknown to me, well-wishers overseas to my account in India.
I would also have been down by a few thousand dollars had I responded to some of my dear friends stranded in Hotels in South Africa or Australia among others places , though very much in their houses.
Coming to a more serious issue, it so happened that I had an invite to speak on the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day falling on the coming 17 May on this years ITU theme
“Protecting Children in Cyberspace”
While discussing the approach to the talk with a friend, I learnt that his grandson, about seven years or so old, till recently active in playing and outdoor games has got addicted to down loading games from various sites on the NET and playing for hours together.
While struck in the traffic jam with the snail paced crawling queue in the AF canteen, sandwiched between the grocery outflowing baskets of an elderly lady in the rear and those of some one being guarded by a bright young girl. We struck a conversation , she a student of Ix class in a local school casually asked me
‘Uncle do you Chat?
‘ I don’t Chat and I don’t SMS. I replied..
‘Uncle I have 400 friends.’ She announced with obvious pride.
‘You have to be careful while on net; you have no idea who is chatting with you, it could be some one my age masquerading as a young girl of eight or ten.’
My cautioning promptly deflated her and she slowly nodded in agreement.
There is a King Salome’s Mine out there in the Cyber Space with a horde of Gold nuggets of all possible knowledge and information one may require. Also there is a Jungle out there with all possible species of predators looking for innocent victims like you and me.
The enormity of the issue became more and more acute as I started surfing the net with focus on material for making it safe for the children.
With some of us being fortunate enough to have children/grand children under our guardianship. However they being of an impressionable age, it becomes our responsibility and we would be failing in our duty if we do not make them aware of the perils of indiscriminate surfing and chatting on the net and do not to guide them how to safely navigate the cyber space..
SO WHAT CAN WE DO ?
There are basically two ways to filter children's access to the Net. One is through installing suitable software in one's PC and the other is to subscribe to an ISP that provides the facility
. * Blocking software - It uses a 'bad site' list and blocks access to these sites them for 'bad site' lists.
* Filtering software - It fills the gap between the reviewed 'bad sites' and the mass of other websites on the Net keywords.
* Outgoing filtering - This software helps parents prevent a child from sharing personal information that the child might be subtly seduced into revealing. '
* Monitoring and tracking - This allows parents to track where their children go online and how much time they spend there and how much time they spend offline on the computer, playing games, for instance.
Net Nanny, Cyberpatrol, Cybersitter and Surfwatch are some of the software that serve as effective blocking, filtering and monitoring devices.
While dealing with children and their safety in cyberspace, it is vital for parents and the people in charge of content to note that their levels of maturity, understanding and cognition vary as they grow up and this, in turn, will affect the manner in which they relate to this medium.
Age 2 to 4 - This is the age when children start interacting with the computer and it is obviously in the presence of a parent, sibling or teacher..
Age 4 to 7 - Children begin to explore the computer independently, but it is important for parents to consider restricting access only to appropriate sitesAge 7 to 10 - This is the age when children begin to look outside the family for social recognition. The building of peer pressure starts now.
Age 10 to 12 - Children start experiencing more independence at this stage and simultaneously start using the Internet. It is essential to help them manage their independence and time spent on the Net. It is wise to set limits and make sure they engage in other activities as well.
Age 12 to 14 - This is the stage when sexual awareness and curiosity begin. Close parental help and involvement are vital as during this period, children get interested in online chat and if left unmonitored, could start socialising more in cyberspace.
Age 14 to 17 - Children are now almost young adults. They are mature physically, emotionally and intellectually. As they are anxious to enjoy greater independence, this is a challenging phase for parents. It is also a stage when youth like to take risks.
But, whatever the age group, it is essential for parents and other people involved with children to get computer savvy themselves.
There are quite a few organisations around the world that are working towards the goal of protecting children in cyberspace and can be accessed at :
http://www.cyberabgels.org
http://www.rsac.org
http://www.getnetwise.org
with some abstracts from - The HINDU August 13 2001
BLS 31