E-safety @ William Cobbett

It is hoped that this guide will

enable all to appreciate the risks and give practical advice when using the Internet and new technologies.

The purpose of this leaflet Adults and Children are increasingly using Information & Communication Technology (ICT) in schools and in the home. This guide explains: • What eSafety and Cyberbullying is • What computer and mobile technologies are involved • Where to access further information • Informing people about Viruses, SPAM and Social networking and how to protect against forms of attack

How we know that using ICT at home can help Many studies have looked at the benefits of having access to a computer and/ or the Internet at home. Here are some of the key findings. • Used effectively, ICT can improve children’s achievement. • Using ICT at home and at school develops skills for life. • Children with supportive and involved parents and carers do better at school. • Children enjoy using ICT. • Using ICT provides access to a wider and more flexible range of learning materials.

What is E-safety? E-safety is about safety with mobile and computer devices. It stands for electronic safety. The reason schools take an active role in e-safety is to make young children safer when using new technologies. There are a great many resources available to help children and parents adopt safe practices.

What is Cyberbullying? Cyberbullying can be defined as the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), particularly mobile phones and the internet, deliberately to upset someone else. Cyberbullying takes place between children, between adults, but also across different age groups. Young people can target staff members or other adults through cyberbullying. Cyberbullying often takes place through the use of mobile phone text messages, emails or websites. This can take many forms; for example: Sending threatening or abusive text messages or emails, personally or anonymously (this includes racial comments) Making insulting comments about someone on a website, social networking site (eg: MySpace) or online diary (blog) Making or sharing derogatory or embarrassing videos of someone via mobile phone or email (such as ‘Happy Slapping’ videos) It should be noted that the use of ICT to bully could be against the law. Abusive language or images, used to bully, harass or threaten another, whether spoken or written (through electronic means) may be libellous, may contravene the If you or you child experience any form of Cyberbullying you must make sure you keep evidence (e.g. Print out, or screen shot by pressing ‘Print Screen’ key)

How Technology can be used for Cyberbullying Technology

Possible Activities

Potential for Cyberbullying

Mobile Phone

Children can use mobile phones to

Sending threatening emails or making calls

chat, send and receive text messages, take pictures, send and receive pictures, use email or

to intimidate or harass someone else. Humiliating pictures or video of someone else could be taken and shared with others on the internet that constitute

access the Internet and share

an act of bullying

different forms of information with

(e.g. Filming Happy Slapping incidents).

friends. Email

Children can use email to

Sending someone unsuitable messages

communicate at home or at school.

repeatedly.

Documents can be attached to

Sending an email with a

emails which can include pictures,

computer virus attached.

Powerpoint presentations and

Passing on someone’s personal details.

audio files. Social

Children can make friends in a

Networking

virtual world who share the same

Websites

interests or aspirations. In the social networking site images can be uploaded. Children have to

Posting threatening or hurtful messages, images or video. Creating false identities to bully or harass an individual. Excluding another child by ignoring messages.

invite friends to view their social networking page. Children can also blog with other Children individually or as a group. Webcam

webcam is a device that students can use to take pictures or record video whilst they are using the computer (live!). Webcams can be used with instant messaging websites such as MSN. Some Children use webcams for sexting purposes.

A

Producing inappropriate content after acting in an inappropriate way. Producing images that can be used in a harmful manner elsewhere

Technology

Possible Activities

Potential for Cyberbullying

Online Gaming

Online gaming websites allow

Name calling and making abusive remarks.

students to chat with other players

Capturing and forwarding messages to other

around the world using hand held

people.

consoles or joysticks.

Online gaming can become very competitive to the extreme!

Chat Rooms

Children can chat in a live

Sending threatening anonymous messages.

environment about things that they

Ignoring certain individuals.

have a common interest in. Children need to register an account with the service provider.

Persuading people to give out personal details which can then be used for exploitation.

Instant

Children can chat live with other

Using another persons account to send

messaging

friends that logged in. Students

unpleasant or threatening messages.

need to register an account with the

Video Hosting Websites

service provider.

Sending unpleasant content.

Children can use these websites

Posting humiliating videos and messages

(E.g. youtube.com) to view videos

about someone else.

for entertainment or educational purposes. They can also upload their own videos once they have registered an account.

Viruses and Virus Protection A virus is a program that self-replicates. It is not data. You can only catch a virus by running a program and your computer runs all kinds of programs. Some viruses ‘self run’! A self-replicating virus may also be called a ‘worm’. A Trojan Horse is a program which appears to be valuable but has an unexpected consequence. Don’t open files that you are not expecting. Many viruses automatically send files without the e-mail account owner’s knowledge. Ask the sender to confirm unexpected files. Suspect messages that appear more than once in your Inbox. You may receive the same e-mail from a virus repeatedly. Your computer will display both an icon and a file extension for files you receive. Open only file extensions you know are safe. The following file types should never be opened: .EXE .PIF .BAT .VBS .COM Security Software (Anti virus Software): The biggest names in computer security, Norton and McAfee, both provide antivirus and firewall all-in-one software applications. The best idea is to try one out, and see how you get on. Most providers offer free trials of their security software. Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer their customers a free subscription to a security package. Firewall Software: When you connect to the Internet, unscrupulous hackers can get in to your computer, accessing personal information or taking control of the way it is run. They could even infect your system with a virus that gets into your email software and sends itself on to all of your contacts. The firewall is a filter for incoming (and outgoing) information. If anything remotely suspicious attempts to get through, the firewall blocks it. You can usually decide how strict you want your firewall to be. Your Windows Operating system comes with a built in Firewall.

Coping with SPAM email What is a SPAM email? A SPAM email is an unsolicited commercial email, in other words an email trying to sell you something which you haven't requested. SPAM emails will almost always invite you to unsubscribe from their mailing list. This is a way for them to confirm your email address is real. It will offer a link, or it will say something like 'Reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject'. We advise that you never do this!

Some SPAM emails appear to come from trusted sites? This is called email spoofing, in these cases the spammer's apparent email address will be a trusted domain name. The only way to really see where the email has come from is by viewing the full header information of the SPAM.

Social Networking Social networking sites are a good way of communicating from home in a safe environment. It can be unsafe if young people are communicating with people they don’t know. If you have a Social Networking profile then we recommend that No personal details like surname, area, D.O.B or school details are available to anyone from the profile. Make sure your profile is only available to friends. Ensure that you are comfortable with the pictures you upload into your gallery. Popular social networking sites include: Twitter, Facebook, Bebo and MySpace. Children may use sites such as Club Penguin. Most social networking site have a minimum age requirement, often 13 years. An example of privacy settings can be seen on

Top Tips for Parent Teachers How to Keep Your Child Safe Online Parents and carers have a key role to play in creating a safe ICT learning environment and culture, through promoting Internet safety/ICT safety at home and hence reinforcing the messages taught in school. Consider using internet filtering software, walled gardens (i.e. you can’t Google content from facebook) and child-friendly search engines. Use your browser's controls as some offer differing degrees of security for each family member Check out what child protection services your Internet Service Provider (ISP) offers - do they filter for spam, for instance? If not, ask them why Keep the computer in a communal area of the house, where it's easier to monitor what your children are viewing Tell children not to give out their personal details. If they want to subscribe to any services online, set up a family email address to receive the mail Children love to chat, but make sure they only use moderated chat rooms and encourage them to introduce you to their online friends Encourage your children to tell you if they feel uncomfortable, upset or threatened by anything they see online Involve your children in writing your own family code of acceptable internet use. Remember that what's acceptable for a teenager isn't necessarily OK for a primary school-aged child, so get their input Computer equipment is expensive so bear in mind that a child with a laptop may be vulnerable when carrying it to and from school The web's a great resource for homework, but remember to use more than one site in research to get broad, balanced information and always reference your research sources Surf together. Go online with your children and become part of their online life. The key to safe surfing is communication.

Choosing and Using Passwords The username and password method of authenticating users is remarkably effective when used correctly, and quite useless when not. It is the cheapest method by far. The rules given below will help you, both in and out of school, use passwords to ensure security of the data. A password chosen to be easy to remember by association such as “matthew” or “Southwell” is easily guessed. Completely random, long passwords tend to result in people writing them down, and this is not recommended!

A password should not: • contain a dictionary word • be the name of a pet, town, person or character in a film • contain a space.

A good password: • uses a wide range of characters as well as letters. Any keyboard character will make the password less easy to spot. E.g. “ide78*tug” or “3saf3t3y09” • must be over 6 characters long, but 10 is plenty • will use some capitals (if passwords are case sensitive), digits and punctuation.

Password tips • We all have many passwords and it is tempting to use one for all systems. This is extremely poor practice! However some things are high security and some not. • Never let Windows remember an important password for you! • Change important passwords on, say, a monthly or termly basis. • Arrange access for colleagues to shared files, so they don’t need your password. In school, pupils can save files in the ‘Shared Area’ to allow other pupils to access them without needing their password.

Phishing Identity theft is as old as history. But the Internet has given it a new lease of life. Exploiting the anonymity inherent in email, instant messaging (IM) and web-based communication, online identity theft involves fraudulently gathering confidential information from the vast data pool that the virtual world has become. The information can then be used to the thief’s gain – and the victim’s loss. ‘Phishing’ involves sending out an email that fools the recipient into thinking it comes from their bank or another financial institution. Duped by the email’s realistic appearance – right down to the logo and sender name – the recipient is directed to a website where they are asked to update or confirm account information (account number, password etc). But the website too is bogus. Sensitive data and unhindered bank account access have been delivered straight into the hands of cyber-criminals – even though no real bank would ask a customer to confirm their account or login details in an email. Make sure you: DO check the identity of anyone requesting confidential data from you online. DO think very carefully before submitting any personal information online. DO check the privacy policy of any website where you submit personal data – if it doesn’t have a clear and comprehensive policy, don’t submit. DO choose passwords that are unique mixtures of letters and numbers and remember to change them regularly. DO dispose of data securely, whether in paper or electronic form (including back-up files and hard drives). Five Key Things to Avoid Doing DON’T click on email attachments unless you’re absolutely sure who sent them. DON’T click on links to websites whose legitimacy you have any doubts about. DON’T respond to emails asking you to update or confirm account IDs, PINs or passwords. DON’T include key personal or company information in social networking profiles (e.g. real date of birth). DON’T work on sensitive or highly confidential material in public WiFi hotspots.

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre There are two useful websites associated with CEOP: www.ceop.gov.uk www.thinkuknow.co.uk Thinkuknow is an education initiative by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre - the UK's national law enforcement agency that focuses on tackling the sexual abuse of children. The Think You Know for parents website has a very useful section about Frequently Asked Questions to do with the following: • Internet Grooming • Use of Mobile Phones • Online Gaming • Internet Chat Websites • Social Networking They also give clear guidance on how to report abuse. The Kids Zone page on school’s website also contains the CEOP button for persistent cases of cyberbullying, sending of inappropriate material, potential grooming etc.

A Guide to Texting/ Online Messaging Language Children will use abbreviations when interacting with social networking websites, chat rooms and texting on a mobile phone. Some abbreviations used that you ought to be aware of include: 6Y- Sexy ASL- Age, Sex, Location BF of GF - Boy Friend / Girl Friend D46? - Down For Sex DEG - Don’t Even Go There GNSD - Good Night Sweet Dreams KIT - Keep In Touch KOL - Kiss On Lips KPC - Keeping Parents Clueless LOL - Laughing Out Loud or Lot Of Love LTNS - Long Time No See LYSM - Love You So Much MIRL - Meet In Real Life MOS - Mother Over Shoulder MYOB - Mind Your Own Business NBD - No Big Deal OMGYG2BK - Oh My God You Got to Be Kidding POAHF - Put On A Happy Face POS - Parent Over Shoulder PRW - Parents Are Watching RYS - Are You Single S2R - Send to receive (meaning send me your picture to get mine) SOWM - Some One With Me URH - You Are Hot WAN2TLK - Want to Talk WAYF - Where Are You From WRUD - What Are You Doing WTGP - Want To Go Private There are many more abbreviations like the ones listed above. Type SMS or texting Language Abbreviations into a search engine like Google to find some websites that will give you more information.

Reporting Abuse Contacting Service Providers Mobile phones All UK mobile phone operators have nuisance call centres set up and / or procedures in place to deal with such instances. They may be able to change the number of the person being bullied. Mobile operators cannot bar a particular number from contacting a phone, but some phone handsets do have this capacity. Action can be taken against the bully’s phone account

Social networking sites

(e.g., MySpace, Bebo, Facebook)

It is good practice for social network providers to make reporting incidents of cyberbullying easy, and thus have clear, accessible and prominent reporting features. Many of these reporting features will be within the profiles themselves, so they are ‘handy’ for the user. If social networking sites do receive reports about cyberbullying, they will investigate and can remove content that is illegal or breaks their terms and conditions in other ways. They can delete the accounts of those who have broken the rules . Bebo: Reports can be made by clicking on a ‘Report Abuse’ link located below the user’s profile photo (top left-hand corner of screen) on every Bebo profile page. Bebo users can also report specific media content (i.e. photos, videos, widgets) to the Bebo customer services team by clicking on a ‘Report Abuse’ link located below the content they wish to report. MySpace: Reports can be made by clicking on the ‘Contact MySpace’ link at the bottom of every MySpace page and selecting the ‘Report Abuse’ option. Alternatively, click on the ‘Report Abuse’ link located at the bottom of each user profile page and other user generated pages. Inappropriate images can be reported by clicking on the image and selecting the ‘Report this Image’ option. Facebook: Reports can be made by clicking on the ‘Report’ link located on pages throughout the site, or by email to [email protected].

YouTube it is possible to report content to the site provider as inappropriate. In order to do this you will need to create an account (this is free) and log in, and then you will have the option to ‘flag content as inappropriate’. The option to flag the content is under the video content itself. YouTube provides information on what is considered inappropriate in its terms of service. See www.youtube.com/t/terms.

Internet Explorer Tips Safety Features Web browsing software comes with features that allow you as parents / carers to filter what a child can view on the Internet. This following is based on Internet Explorer 8 though applies to most versions.

Content Advisor 1. Open IE and choose Tools→Internet Options. 2. Click the Content tab to display it. 3. Click the Content Advisor Enable button. Click the Settings button. If your Content tab shows a Disable and Settings buttons instead, the Content Advisor is already enabled. (Click the Settings button to see the options and make changes if you wish.) 4. Click the Ratings tab, click a category and move the slider to set the level of content you wish to see. For each category (such as Depiction of Drug Use), you can choose one of three site screening settings: None, Limited, or Unrestricted. 5. Repeat Step 3 for each of the categories. 6. To control access to specific sites, click the Approved Sites tab. Enter the name of the site and the level of control. You can choose Always or Never. Always allows users to view the site, even if it’s included in the Content Advisor screening level you’ve set. Never means that nobody can visit the site even if it’s acceptable to Content Advisor. When you finish adjusting your settings, click OK twice to save them. Rather than trying to determine what sites are safe by yourself, you can use one or more pre-existing ratings systems. Click the Rating Systems button on the General tab of the Content Advisor Settings dialog box. Choose a system already shown there. To use more than one system, click Add; then choose another system to apply. If you want to view sites that you don’t want others to see, go to the General tab of the Content Advisor dialog box. Select the Supervisor Can Type a Password to Allow Viewers to View Restricted Content check box and then click Create Password. Enter a password, confirm it, and then enter a hint and click OK. Now you can get to any restricted site by using this password, as long as you’re logged in as a system administrator.

Viewing History It is also possible to view the websites that a user has visited. Click on the Favourites button and then click on the arrow next to History.

The History of website visited can be viewed for the current day, yesterday and by the week.

It is quite easy for a user to delete the history of websites visited. If you notice that someone else has deleted the history information is it because someone has something to hide?

Protecting your kids with Family Safety Keeping your children safe online can be complicated, but Windows Live Family Safety helps make it easier for you. Family Safety provides a website and a free program that you install on the computers your children use, so you can give them some independence but still keep tabs on their computer activities. Family Safety can also help keep your children off websites you don’t want them looking at, and only let them talk to the people you're okay with them talking to.

How Family Safety works Just like on a sports team, the different players in Family Safety and Windows make up a team that works together. The players are: The Family Safety Filter. Software you install and set up on each computer your kids use. It monitors your children using safety settings you select. The Family Safety website. Where you choose and manage all the settings for each family member and view their activity reports. You can create settings on the website once and then they'll apply to every computer you’ve installed the Family Safety Filter on. Windows Parental Controls. A feature in Windows that’s turned on when you use Family Safety. You can use Windows Parental Controls to set up more safety settings for your children’s computers.