Teenangels.org - Official Blog

Teens advise the grown-ups, their peers and industry

2011-05-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

Teenangels is WiredSafety's teen digital safety group. You can learn more about us at Teenangels.org or by visiting WiredSafety.org. We testify before the US Congress, present events to the UK Parliament, the FTC and the Governor of California, among others. We serve on MTV's advisory board, advise Procter & Gamble, Facebook, Microsoft and ToyrRUs, and act as experts for the media.Here we are speaking at the UN a few minutes after the head of the UN spoke! Itwas so terrific. One of us was 14 and the other 16.
You've seen us on Dr. Phil, on the Today Show and MSNBC, with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America and on Dateline and CNN. Want to join? Visit Teenangels.org. Want to arrange for us to speak at your event? Visit Teenangels.org's booking Teenangels for your school event section.

the reflections of one of our teenangels when she presented for the first time oot parents

2006-11-28T20:56:00.000-08:00

On November 9th I attended a parent’s meeting at a middle school in Ossining. Beforehand, we were told that we would be speaking to a group of parents who were very concerned about the dangers of allowing their kids to go onto social networking websites. On the drive to Ossining, I looked over my speaker’s notes for the presentation. I practiced my methods of deep breathing so that I would be relaxed before presenting. We entered the school and set up our technical equipment on stage. After each of us looked over our notes more than once, the parents of children in the Ossining school system began to take their seats. We listened as the principal of the school stated her views on middle school students visiting social networking sites. She then introduced us and we took our place on stage. I could feel that sensation of excitement mixed with my nerves as I prepared to present at the podium. I presented a slideshow on cyberbullying and its effects. I also spoke of how parents should be involved in their children’s access to the Internet. As I spoke, a feeling of great importance swept over me. In that moment, I was teaching parents how to keep their children safe… how to potentially save millions of lives. Afterwards, I listened to a police officer speak about the dangers of MySpace. He began with a description MySpace, and then gave examples of the dangerous content that anyone can access and he even showed the crimes resulting from this social networking site. The detective’s words impacted me in many different ways and I could not stop thinking about the statistic- 54% of children have communicated with a stranger online. These experiences make me very proud to be a Teenangel and I look forward to many more presentations in the future.

-Kate (a Teenangel from the New Rochelle Chapter)

shutting down the news feed on facebook...to keep your info from being broadcast

2006-11-04T10:12:00.000-08:00

1. Go to "My Privacy" which is the last option on the button bar on the left hand of facebook pages.

2. Scroll down until you reach "News Feed and Mini-Feed" and click on the "edit settings" link which is below it.

3. You can read about the feed and also UNCHECK selections to remove information on your mini-feed.

4. When you are finished with this, click "save changes" and you are all set!

from one of our teenangels on doing her first presentation (to 900 kids!!!) on cyberbullying. I really love the teens! :-)

2006-10-30T13:13:00.000-08:00

Dear Ms. Aftab,

At first I was extremely nervous. I read over my lines (in the role play) millions of times thinking I would freeze on stage. Though, my anxiousness subsided eventually and I was able to calm down with the help of the Teenangles support group that came along.
Walking into the school was a new experience in its self. There were tons of middle-schoolers grouped in circles around the building. Workshops were going on everywhere I turned and a significantly large presentation happening in the auditorium. The women who were heading the day’s events kept coming over to us and thanked us for coming. This made me feel important and very proud.
When our time finally arrived to present our cyberbulling slideshows the nerves were eliminated. Instead of stage fright I was filled with excitement and awe at the 900 some odd people that faced me. The first part of the PowerPoint went smoothly. The only technical difficulties we encountered came during “The Game Boy Ploy”; my part!!! Not to worry, my partner and I read through our parts clearly and enthusiastically; even better than I had imagined! I was astonished that we pulled through so well.
We received a huge applause and a big thanks from the school. The day, the presentation, the entirety of the experience was one that I am glad I was able to be a part of and one that will be hard to forget.

Gianna
New Rochelle Ch.1

Communication and Education Key to Keeping Kids Safe Online - Government Technology

2006-10-23T20:05:00.000-07:00

Teenangels received rave reviews for their presentation.Communication and Education Key to Keeping Kids Safe Online - Government Technology

Wisconsin State Journal - wisconsin teenangels in action on PBS

2006-10-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

Wisconsin State Journal

Students urged to follow safety rules while online

2006-10-22T22:17:00.000-07:00

Students urged to follow safety rules while online

Post from one of our Holmdel teenangels after her first presentation as a teenangel

2006-10-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

When I stepped foot in Howell Middle School, I basically knew I'd be
>talking a bit about things like how to keep kids like ourselves safe on
>the internet as well as how to deal with internet bullying and the
>Teenangels program. It was my first time being part of a formal
>presentation where the audience was more than just my friends and peers
>listening, so I wasn't even expecting kids to really pay attention to
>me or even care about what I had to say. I can definitely say that I
>was shocked at the high participation level of the kids when I did my
>part of the presentation and got them to guess certain statistics and
>let me know what they thought about it. The response gave me this
>remarkable sense - and made us Teenangels realize that we were making
>some sort of a positive difference! Although it was obvious that some
>kids just can't be bothered with caring about anything, I could tell
>that others were certainly affected by some of the stories we brought
>up. I would truly consider it an accomplishment if even one kid made
>changes to be safer online after listening to us speak. At the end of
>the presentation, three girls came up to us and asked us some questions
>and were even surprised to know that most of us had pages up on social
>networking websites like Myspace and Facebook. I think it made them
>realize that we weren't telling them not to do it, but to be safe while navigating them. Bringing that reality to them made them think of us more as role models, rather than teen police!
>Overall, I loved the whole experience and having the opportunity to
>share what we knew with other younger teens who will benefit from it.
>I'm really looking forward to continuing my work as a Teenangel.
>

MercuryNews.com | 10/19/2006 | Summit tackles Internet sexual predators

2006-10-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

MercuryNews.com | 10/19/2006 | Summit tackles Internet sexual predators

The Privacy Lawyer - laws that might cover unauthorized access to wireless networks

2005-08-18T23:44:00.000-07:00

The Privacy Lawyer

Times Community Newspapers - Up Close - 08/16/2005 - Internet 'networking' sites captivate teens

2005-08-16T23:44:00.000-07:00

Times Community Newspapers - Up Close - 08/16/2005 - Internet 'networking' sites captivate teens

Teenangels myspace blog: www.myspace.com/teenangels

2005-08-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

www.myspace.com/teenangels

InformationWeek > Wireless Network Theft > The Privacy Lawyer: Wireless Freeloaders Are Breaking The Law > August 15, 2005

2005-08-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

InformationWeek > Wireless Network Theft > The Privacy Lawyer: Wireless Freeloaders Are Breaking The Law > August 15, 2005

InformationWeek > Protecting Kids Online > Kids Put Online Safety First > July 4, 2005

2005-07-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

InformationWeek > Protecting Kids Online > Kids Put Online Safety First > July 4, 2005

2005-07-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

InformationWeek > Protecting Kids Online > Kids Put Online Safety First > July 4, 2005

2005-07-04T08:23:00.000-07:00

InformationWeek > Protecting Kids Online > Kids Put Online Safety First > July 4, 2005

Time for Kids | Magazines

2005-03-11T20:20:00.000-08:00

Time for Kids | Magazines

2005-03-02T09:47:00.000-08:00

Time for Kids | Magazines

BBC NEWS | England | Devon | Web angels fly in to help teens

2005-03-01T22:52:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS | England | Devon | Web angels fly in to help teens

Columns: Keeping an eye online for our kids' sake

2005-03-01T22:51:00.000-08:00

Columns: Keeping an eye online for our kids' sake

Protecting Your Child's Privacy Online

2005-03-01T22:49:00.001-08:00

Protecting Your Child's Privacy Online

ABC13.com: Technology allows school bullies to take teasing online

2005-03-01T22:49:00.000-08:00

ABC13.com: Technology allows school bullies to take teasing online

InformationWeek > Piracy > Teen Ethics: Free Is A Tough Habit For Kids To Break > October 27, 2003

2005-03-01T22:48:00.000-08:00

InformationWeek > Piracy > Teen Ethics: Free Is A Tough Habit For Kids To Break > October 27, 2003

InformationWeek > Parry Aftab > Interactive Gaming, Safety, And Privacy > December 22, 2003

2005-03-01T22:45:00.000-08:00

InformationWeek > Parry Aftab > Interactive Gaming, Safety, And Privacy > December 22, 2003

Teensangels search for cybersafety | Tech News on ZDNet

2005-03-01T22:44:00.000-08:00

Teensangels search for cybersafety | Tech News on ZDNet

EducationGuardian.co.uk | E-learning | Soundbytes

2005-03-01T22:43:00.000-08:00

EducationGuardian.co.uk | E-learning | Soundbytes

21st Century Online

2005-03-01T22:41:00.000-08:00

21st Century Online

WiredKids

2005-03-01T22:40:00.000-08:00

WiredKids

Aprendiz

2005-03-01T22:38:00.000-08:00

Aprendiz

USATODAY.com - Teenangels make cybersafety a number one priority

2005-03-01T22:35:00.000-08:00

USATODAY.com - Teenangels make cybersafety a number one priority

Teenangels make the web safer for kids - Computeractive

2005-03-01T22:34:00.000-08:00

Teenangels make the web safer for kids - Computeractive

Shawnee News-Star: Young Living Teenangels to the rescue! Web-savvy youth teaching peers about online computer safety 07/26/01

2005-03-01T22:33:00.000-08:00

Shawnee News-Star: Young Living Teenangels to the rescue! Web-savvy youth teaching peers about online computer safety 07/26/01

The-Forums.nl :: Bekijk onderwerp - [review] Chat Translator

2005-02-23T09:37:00.000-08:00

The-Forums.nl :: Bekijk onderwerp - [review] Chat Translator

NEA: Help for Parents - Parent Involvement in Education - Resources

2005-02-22T15:36:00.000-08:00

NEA: Help for Parents - Parent Involvement in Education - ResourcesTeenangels is honored to be mentioned by the NEA.

iMediaConnection: What a Teen Consumer Wants

2005-02-20T21:27:00.000-08:00

iMediaConnection: What a Teen Consumer Wants

Dealing with, and countering, online harassment of your firm

2005-02-20T21:24:00.000-08:00

Dealing with, and countering, online harassment of your firm

Kansas City Star | 02/15/2005 | Message mayhem

2005-02-15T05:08:00.000-08:00

Kansas City Star | 02/15/2005 | Message mayhem

NBC10.com - News - Bullies Move To Internet

2004-12-10T07:02:00.000-08:00

NBC10.com - News - Bullies Move To InternetAlyssa, a teenangel form NJ talks to NBC about netbullying

AV Press: Bill aims to protect victims of 'luring'

2004-12-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

AV Press: Bill aims to protect victims of 'luring'

Net Bullies...preventing and handling cyberbullying and harassment

2004-12-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

Net Bullies...preventing and handling cyberbullying and harassment

wiredteens: Teenangels in Plymouth, England - report of program in the local news

2004-11-28T19:41:00.000-08:00

wiredteens: Teenangels in Plymouth, England - report of program in the local news

Tips for teens...knowing what sites to trust

2004-11-24T17:51:00.000-08:00

Kids and Teens: What to look for on a kid-friendly site

The WiredKids Division of WiredSafety has a large list of sites that are kid-friendly where most of the work has already been done for you. We have many terrific hand picked and reviewed sites. If you find a site not on our list, we’re happy to consider it. You can submit one to us at :[insert link to form]

Our URL for the safe sites listing is: http://www.wiredkids.org/safesites/star_search1.php

We already check these things for you, but if you want to go to another site that you find on your own there are some things you should know first. When you find a site that looks interesting, these are the things you should look for to make sure it is safe.

1. Privacy Policy...usually found on the home page at the very top or very bottom. It is often at places where they ask you to give them information, like at a registration form or when you login or signup for a contest.

This part of the site tells you if they collect personal information about you, how they collect it, and what they do with it. If there are chat rooms or message boards, sometimes they tell you if an adult moderates them. But not all sites tell you that in their privacy policy, so don’t assume. Ask before you chat.

If the privacy policy doesn’t tell you those things or you don’t find one, visit another site. Your privacy is worth protecting.

2. Chat rooms or message boards…usually found as links on the home page. When you click on the link, you should get a “sign in” page or window. You need to see if these are moderated and if you have to give personal information to sign in. You should always use a nick that is not part of your real name and does not show your age, gender, date of birth, or where you live.

If they ask you to sign in and register, check the privacy policy to see what they do with the information you gave them. If you don’t like what they tell you, or they don’t even bother telling you, chat elsewhere.

Also, you should know that a filtering program is not the same as a live moderator. And the good kid-chat sites use both. (Those kids can be tricky and type very fast. )

3. You should look to see if there is online shopping on the site and, if so, what they sell. Do they link to a big e-tailer, like Amazon, or do they sell their own products. Are the products appropriate for kids?

4. Kids should check with your parents before going into that part of the site. NEVER give out any payment information on an online shopping page without your parent’s permission. And no one (parents or kids) should give out credit card of payment information to any site that doesn’t use a secure link (look for a lock in the lower right corner of the page).

What about hidden charges? What does shipping cost? Sometimes after adding in the shipping charges, you can find things more cheaply and easily offline. Any e-tailers are now giving you free shipping to encourage your e-commerce.

Is the product new or refurbished (that may be a returned item that they fixed and resold). Do you know who the seller is? This is not a good time to search for a new seller no one has ever heard of or worked with. It’s very easy to be fooled by a slick website. And you want to make sure they’re around if something goes wrong.

Always use a credit card. Even if you are too young to have one, ask someone with a credit card to put it on theirs for you, and pay them yourself. You are better protected if something goes wrong, since your credit card company will usually fight for your rights and even credit your account for any fraudulent charges or charges for products that aren’t what they were promised.

If you pay with a money order or check, you don’t have those rights, and if anything goes wrong, you are generally out of luck.

5. You should look to see if you have to “register” to gain access to the site. Again, do not use real information about yourself unless your parents have gone over the registration with you and are sure that it is okay to do so. Some sites have a charge for registering so that you can access parts of the site that a visitor cannot access. Have an adult check this out before registering. If you are twelve years old or younger, in the U.S. there are laws against a website asking for your personal information.

6. Some sites have charges for “joining” clubs on the site or for receiving newsletters or other items that have to do with the site. You should check all of the links on the site’s home page before you “sign up” or “register” so that you know what to expect and what the site expects of you.

7. Look for a search engine on the site. If the search engine says, “search this site” it is probably safe and won’t turn up any inappropriate material. If the search engine has “search the WWW” or “search the Web” you will get a lot of sites you may not want to go to if you type in the wrong thing.

8. Next, does the website use pop-ups? Cookies? Adware or spyware downloads? Before downloading anything, check. Many spyware applications come hidden with something you really want to download. Others trick you into consenting, by hiding this information in the middle of a licensing agreement or terms of service that you have to click to accept if you want to visit the site or download anything.

9. Last, but not least, look over all the pages on the site and make sure you are comfortable with the content, the ads, the pop-ups, the games, and the chats. Once you are comfortable and you have checked with your parents on anything that is questionable, enjoy the site you have chosen. And if you think other kids might like it, recommend it to us. We love learning of new fun sites for kids.

New York Daily News - Home - Rape rap for hip-hop model agency scout

2004-11-20T05:39:00.000-08:00

New York Daily News - Home - Rape rap for hip-hop model agency scoutMany young teens are lured by promises of modelling and tv starring careers. Too often they are solicited online by predators intent on molestation. Don't be fooled. Think before you ever agree to meet someone offline and never send photos to anyone promising you a modelling or acting career. That's not how the real agents work.

Os Super Her�is da Seguran�a na Internet

2004-11-15T14:51:00.000-08:00

Os Super Her�is da Seguran�a na Internet

Spider-Man enlisted in cause of online safety

2004-11-15T14:50:00.000-08:00

Spider-Man enlisted in cause of online safety

North County Times - North San Diego and Southwest Riverside County columnists

2004-11-15T14:49:00.000-08:00

North County Times - North San Diego and Southwest Riverside County columnists

2004-11-15T14:47:00.000-08:00

Wired News: But Will They Listen to Kids?

2004-11-15T14:42:00.000-08:00

Wired News: But Will They Listen to Kids?

: NCH Children's Charities

2004-11-15T14:41:00.001-08:00

: NCH Children's Charities

PRESS RELEASE: Cyberbullying - when kids target other kids online - Cyberlawyer and online safety and privacy expert available for comment

2004-11-15T14:41:00.000-08:00

PRESS RELEASE: Cyberbullying - when kids target other kids online - Cyberlawyer and online safety and privacy expert available for comment

Resources, Read what Parry Aftab has to say about MPAA decision

2004-11-15T14:40:00.000-08:00

Resources, Read what Parry Aftab has to say about MPAA decision

BBC NEWS | England | Devon | Web angels fly in to help teens

2004-11-15T14:39:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS | England | Devon | Web angels fly in to help teens

SILive.com - Staten Island Advance - Better safe than sorry

2004-11-15T14:38:00.000-08:00

SILive.com - Staten Island Advance - Better safe than sorry

Protecting Your Child's Privacy Online

2004-11-15T14:37:00.001-08:00

Protecting Your Child's Privacy Online

21st Century Online

2004-11-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

21st Century Online

Aprendiz

2004-11-15T14:36:00.001-08:00

Aprendiz

Internet Super Heroes - Selected articles

2004-11-15T14:36:00.000-08:00

Internet Super Heroes - Selected articles

Teensangels search for cybersafety | Tech News on ZDNet

2004-11-15T14:35:00.001-08:00

Teensangels search for cybersafety | Tech News on ZDNet

Ananova - Teenangels will teach kids about online safety

2004-11-15T14:35:00.000-08:00

Ananova - Teenangels will teach kids about online safety

Shawnee News-Star: Young Living Teenangels to the rescue! Web-savvy youth teaching peers about online computer safety 07/26/01

2004-11-15T14:34:00.001-08:00

Shawnee News-Star: Young Living Teenangels to the rescue! Web-savvy youth teaching peers about online computer safety 07/26/01

USATODAY.com - Teenangels make cybersafety a number one priority

2004-11-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

USATODAY.com - Teenangels make cybersafety a number one priority

Microsoft and Teenangels

2004-11-12T06:05:00.000-08:00

I've worked with Teenangels for several years now. I've been to many conferences and I've dealt with a lot of "important" people, breifing them on Internet Safety, and I've always sone it with the help of Parry. This time, however, I was left alone, sent to London with a family friend whos not very computer literate and asked to talk to 50 people from Microsoft about why Teenangels are the way forward with Internet Safety.

And I've never spoke better, been more confident or had such an attanetive audience, seriously! I'd like to, therefore, start by thanking all the people who first stayed all day to listen to me speak (save the best to last ;)), secondly listened so intrently and actually let me say what I had to and thirdly gave me such amazing comments afterwards, it was truely an amazing experience, especially sinse as I was the only one there under 20!

The event was the MSN Online Child Safety Workshop, and although I claim to know everything about Internet Safety, I truly did learn a lot. Some of the world most influential people were there, the best minds of Internet Safety and I was lucky enough to get to hear them speak, give feedback and work with them to make the Internet a much safer place for children and young people.

I have to say how great it was to actually meet these people,make contact with them and figure out the best ways to get internet safety out, but also, to work together in order to have a mass influence of making the Internet a safer place. I made good contacts and I think we should all look to the future in order to see where we can go from here and how great an impact we can all have, especially with the help of some old and some new friends :)

Sonrisa

Teenangels in the news again! - SILive.com - Staten Island Advance - Better safe than sorry

2004-11-09T19:32:00.000-08:00

SILive.com - Staten Island Advance - Better safe than sorry

a guide for parents and for teens - the MPAA is coming! and it's time to stop pirating movies

2004-11-06T11:51:00.000-08:00

While we are always unhappy to see anyone sued, especially young people, the MPAA has shown an incredible amount of restraint and patience in this matter. They have developed awareness messaging delivered in movie theaters, on television and in print media. They have educated universities and colleges about the piracy issues and have helped them create policies for acceptable use of institutional computer networks. They have delivered an extensive full-page advertisement awareness campaign “You Can Click But You Can’t Hide,” and have begun programs for in-school educational efforts on this important issue. And more will come. But without enforcement actions, unfortunately, education and awareness only go part of the way.

The MPAA has convinced me that they had no choice but add lawsuits to their arsenal of anti-piracy tactics. These lawsuits are a last resort and only a small part of the whole anti-piracy campaign. Sadly, without them, many young people who are stealing motion pictures before they even hit the movie theaters, will continue to steal movies thinking that they have nothing to lose. These law suits and other enforcement efforts will, hopefully, demonstrate that they have a lot to lose by breaking the law. As important as teaching our youth to surf safely and avoid online predators and harmful content is teaching them to be responsible cybercitizens.

Few were as vocal in opposition to the actions of the RIAA as I was. I felt that they had misused a legal loophole, which has since been closed with our help and the help of many privacy advocates and Internet service providers. I also understood the confusion over music downloads, where many young people couldn’t understand why they were not sued for recording music from radio broadcasts, but could be sued for downloading music from the Internet. I wrote a guide for parents and another for teens about downloading music online. I published an FAQ addressing the confusing issues. But movies are different.

I have consistently been vocal on an important distinction between the music piracy debate and motion picture piracy.

Working with thousands of young people, we learned that all of them knew that downloading a motion picture pre-theater release is wrong and is illegal. It feels wrong as well. They don’t readily admit to movie piracy and are often ashamed to admit that they have pirated movies. Notwithstanding the lawsuits and huge awareness campaigns delivered by the RIAA, many young Internet users either don’t understand the fine points of listening versus copying, or feel as though they should be allowed to share music online. To them it doesn’t yet feel wrong, and they are open about their music piracy practices. They seek ways of not getting caught, rather than curtailing their piracy activities.

While seeking input from some of my elite Teenangels (teenangels.org) for an article being written for Information Week magazine last year about youth movie piracy, I was shocked to learn that several of the young teens from this particular teenangels chapter admitted to downloading Harry Potter before it hit the movie theaters. Unlike their discussions about downloading music online, the teens wouldn’t meet my eyes. It didn’t take much to get them to agree never to pirate another movie. And, I suspect once we get them involved in delivering their own messages, we can turn this generation around, at least as to motion picture (and eventually software and game) piracy. And, like it or not, strategic law suits are a part of the incentive package needed to turnaround their movie piracy activities.

I earnestly hope that education and awareness will be effective enough that law suits won’t dominate this campaign to stop piracy. But as parents, we need to teach our children to be accountable for their actions. We need to teach them to do what’s right, not just what they can get away with. We need to encourage them to be good citizens, online and offline. Bottomline, it’s not about technology, or even lawsuits, it’s about parenting and helping guide our children to do what’s right.

Movie piracy and teens

2004-11-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

When Information Week ran an article about movie piracy in Fall 2003, I was interviewed as the expert on what kids were doing. I, in turn, asked my experts, my teenangels (Teenangels.org, note that teenangels.com is a porn site.) I had no idea, until then, how prevalent movie piracy was. We all know about the movie pirates selling DVDs on the corner in Chinatown and at flea markets. But few of us know about movie piracy, how it is done and where files of that size can be stored without crashing our systems. I was in that group.

I confidently asked a group of my Teenangels during one of their training sessions if they had ever heard of kids downloading movies online. All hands went up. I then asked them if any of them had ever downloaded a motion picture. That’s when I was stunned as several of my elite teens, trained by the FBI, decided to look out the window, under the table and into their laps. They looked everywhere but into my eyes. I sat down in shock. I was truly stunned.

It wasn’t the first time, and certainly won’t be the last time that my Teenangels have surprised me. But this was a new abuse issue that had gotten in under MY radar. That doesn’t happen often. But I was blindsided. The teens admitted to downloading the latest Harry Potter movie before it had even hit the movie theaters. And they didn’t have those shadowy, shot by a home video camera in the movie theater versions. They had studio prints, as good as the copy of that same movie we will be able to buy, years later.

After making them all swear that they would never ever ever ever do it again, I asked them how they did it. Most downloaded them on P2P networks, as they do music. They burn them to DVDs and store them on the enormous hard drives they all seem to have these days. And more importantly, they got them from their older brothers and sisters, cousins and friends in college.
So I went to our TeenAngels alumni, all of whom were not in college and asked them about the problem. They told me that many college kids are downloading and sharing motion pictures online. They have the new releases early enough to avoid having to pay the $10 and more per person to sit in a movie theater. And while many of the movies are shadowy in-theater shoots, many more are studio prints, director’s cuts and review copies.

They don’t have to resort to burning expensive DVDs, since the college servers are so enormous and most college students have access to large unallocated server space.

They also briefed me on the extensive efforts being expended by universities to stem piracy of music, movies and software. Acceptable use policies were rewritten warning them of the consequences of illegal downloads and media piracy. They were educated on copyright and other intellectual property issues. They had to sign agreements not to pirate or misuse media as a condition to being given access to the university networks. And some students were expelled when they violated those agreements.

All of this was the result of an educational and awareness campaign launched by the MPAA and the RIAA. But, apparently, it wasn’t terribly effective. When forced to choose between rising movie theater ticket prices and stealing a movie for your nearest and dearest 100 dorm-mates, from a college student’s perspective, there isn’t much of a choice.

The upcoming lawsuits might make a difference here. My informal polls of teens and college students shows me that many will stop pirating movies if they think they will be sued. The real problem we face is that most don’t think it will happen to them and play the odds.

So, we need to find a way to get the message across to them that the MPAA means business. They know what they are doing is illegal (see, “Movies are Different”). But it’s important that they know they could face the consequences of their actions. It’s time to get their attention.

But lawsuits alone are not the answer. The MPAA knows this and has delayed their lawsuits for many years in an attempt to educate young people. They see the lawsuits as an important, but small part of their overall campaign to stop movie piracy online.

They have several educational programs they have developed, including “You Can Click, But Your Can’t Hide.” They have delivered messages as trailers in movie theaters about the real people impacted by movie piracy. They sat back and watched as the RIAA used privacy-invading methods to force ISPs to turn over the identity of their subscribers.

It’s a great start. But we need to do more to get the kids involved. We need to get them to internalize the message of responsible technology use and respecting intellectual property rights. We need to capture their attention before they get to college and while movie piracy is still an exception not the rule. We need to use methods to get them involved in the solution, instead of only threatening them with the results. Carrots, not just sticks, need to be included in the package.

I have proposed a campaign for children, teens and college students to deliver their own anti-piracy messages in video format. After delivering our intellectual property education, they would find the message that resonates with them and their friends. (We have learned that finding the right message on anti-piracy is like ordering from a Chinese restaurant, one form column A and two from column B. No one message speaks to all kids.) Large competitions could be judged by the motion picture studios and the winning videographers could be invited to Hollywood and their videos featured as trailers on upcoming DVDs. Electronic manufacturers and retailers, video rental outlets, and the motion picture industry unions can all get involved in the campaign. We need to make it as “kewl” to stop piracy as it is to pirate a new movie. If we reward them for their creativity, they will be more likely to respect the creativity of others.

I just ran a program for a small private school in New York, after returning from a larger event with hundreds of 4th graders in Wichita, Kansas. Both groups were appalled that their older counterparts were stealing movies online. One 10 year old even lectured me on the large damages that could be recovered in a lawsuit. (He was close. He said they could recover $250,000, but the real amount for a willful piracy of a movie is $150,000. As you may have guessed already, this boy was from New York. )

We need to get to the kids while they are young and still believe in right and wrong. We need them to remind each other of their ethical obligation as cybercitizens not to abuse the power of the technology. There’s still time to stop movie piracy and teach young people and adults alike that we should be responsible in our technology use. We should all learn to obey the law even when we think we can get away with breaking it. And our children need to be taught this as soon as possible and take this with them as they grow into, hopefully, responsible adults.

That’s the real challenge. And the MPAA should be supporting efforts like Peers2Peers.org and InternetSuperheroes.org, that get kids involved in creating and delivering their own messages of responsible intellectual property use.

There’s more to anti-piracy than lawsuits. And unless we do something about this soon, the motion picture industry and this generation of our kids will be lost. We need to get the kids on board. And if we catch them young enough, we can.

MPAA announces that the lawsuits are coming....movie piracy

2004-11-04T21:23:00.000-08:00

The Privacy Lawyer

P2P or Peer-to-Peer privacy, safety and security issues - other than piracy

2004-11-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

The Privacy Lawyer

iMediaConnection: What a Teen Consumer Wants

2004-10-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

iMediaConnection: What a Teen Consumer WantsReporting on the teenangels and a panel they heads in June, at the IAPP.

Cyberbullying from the perspective of one fo the teenangels

2004-10-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

Archives: Chicago TribuneCyber Cruelty; Bullies have taken their bad behavior online, where they are less likely to get caught

By Emilie Le Beau, Special to the Tribune. "Banish the bully" sidebar by the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram.

5 October 2004
Chicago Tribune

Copyright 2004, Chicago Tribune. All Rights Reserved.

You're so stupid. You're so ugly.

These mean messages were popping up every night on Alyssa A.'s instant messenger. Alyssa knew the sender, a boy from school.

"He found out my screen name and he'd scare me," says Alyssa, 14, of Wyckoff, N.J. "Every time I went online, I was worried he would go online and call me names."

After two weeks of being cyberbullied, Alyssa told her parents. They threatened to call the police, and the bully backed down. "He would not let off until my parents got involved," she says.

Computers are awesome for chatting with friends, but they're also an anonymous way for bullies to harass you. By sending mean e-mails or cruel IMs, kids can bully hours after the school bell has rung.

And with so many kids online, it's not hard for bullies to find someone to pick on.

Forty-two percent of kids say they've been bullied online, according to a survey by Internet safety group i-SAFE. Lots of kids can get mean behind the mouse too: 53 percent of kids surveyed by i-SAFE said they've typed hurtful or angry things online.

For Alyssa, being bullied online "was emotionally troubling." She says she stopped using the computer for months afterward.

Cyberbullying can be more than just a bunch of nasty e-mails. Alyssa says she's heard of kids using the Internet to blackmail others. "There have been cases in my school where kids have a picture of two people kissing at a party and they spread it to everyone on their buddy list," she says.

Online harassment isn't just between the bully and his or her victim. Bullies love an audience and are likely to tell other kids, says Nancy Mullin-Rindler, director of the Project on Teasing and Bullying at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass.

"They aren't keeping this a secret, somebody else knows," Mullin-Rindler says. "Kids know who else knows--it's just a matter of doing a bit of investigative work."

Bullies who brag about their actions can embarrass you even more. Mullin-Rindler says bullying is about one kid feeling powerful over another. That means kids who are bullied should not feel responsible. "It's not up to them to stop it--they're the victims," she says.

And firing an insult back at the bully doesn't work. "The more you get into it with a cyberbully, the more they want to make you mad," Alyssa says. "I've always been one to fight back. Don't. Ignore it and tell your parents."

Skip peer mediation, too--because that's about compromising to end a conflict. The only person who needs to stop is the bully, Mullin-Rindler says. Telling parents or contacting the police are better ways to end bullying.

Kids also can e-mail the Teen Angels for help, Alyssa says. She and 149 other kids worldwide are part of a program through wiredsafety.org that helps kids with cyber safety. They train with the FBI and solve kids' scary cyber issues.

And scary cyber issues don't just involve bullies. Friendships gone sour also can spiral into online harassment.

Alyssa says she's heard of friendships ending and former pals using the Internet for revenge. Kids who know each other's e-mail or IM passwords will log on as their ex-friend and send threatening notes to other kids at school, she says.

Sometimes just chatting online can lead to fights and worse when jokes are misunderstood and taken as insults. Nolan B., 14, of Frankfurt says his friends like to joke through IM. But since you're not talking in person and can't see their expressions, misunderstandings occur, he says.

Nolan says this situation calls for a real chat. "Talk to them at school or call them on the phone," he says. "It's the tone of voice, they can tell when you're joking or serious."

Not being able to hear a person's tone of voice can make a cyber chat seem especially mean. "In real life, you can see and hear what the person is saying. Online, you can't. You read [insults] on the screen and you're, like, ow," Alyssa says.

Are you getting hassled online? Check out www.cyberbullying.ca for more info. And volunteers like the Teen Angels at www.wiredsafety.org can help kids put an end to cyberbullying.

- - -

Banish the bully

Here are some tips for keeping bullies from cramping your cyber style:

- Guard your contact information. Don't give people you don't know your cell phone number, instant messaging name or e-mail address.

- If you are being harassed online, leave the area or stop the activity. Immediately tell an adult you trust.

- If you are being bullied through e-mail or instant messaging, block the sender's messages. Never reply to harassing messages.

- Save any harassing messages and forward them to your Internet Service Provider or e-mail provider (example: Hotmail or Yahoo). Most ISPs have policies that restrict users from harassing others over the Internet.

- If the bullying includes physical threats, notify police.

- Speak out whenever you see someone being mean to another person online.

Xbox Solution - Xbox Wins Safety Award from WiredSafety

2004-10-16T02:47:00.000-07:00

Xbox Solution - Xbox Wins Safety Award from WiredSafety

Parry's Blog: WiredSafety's PSA with The Young and the Restless Behind the Scenes by Soap City

2004-10-16T00:49:00.000-07:00

Parry's Blog: WiredSafety's PSA with The Young and the Restless Behind the Scenes by Soap City

What Teens Want to Know About Downloading Music

2004-10-16T00:48:00.000-07:00

What Teens Want to Know About Downloading Music

InformationWeek > Privacy > The Privacy Lawyer: From The Mouths Of Babes > July 19, 2004

2004-10-16T00:39:00.000-07:00

InformationWeek > Privacy > The Privacy Lawyer: From The Mouths Of Babes > July 19, 2004Teenangels report on opinions of youth on privacy and marketing online.

InformationWeek > Parry Aftab > Interactive Gaming, Safety, And Privacy > December 22, 2003

2004-10-16T00:36:00.000-07:00

InformationWeek > Parry Aftab > Interactive Gaming, Safety, And Privacy > December 22, 2003

Protecting Your Child's Privacy Online- referncing teenangels

2004-10-16T00:35:00.000-07:00

Protecting Your Child's Privacy Online

teenangels powerpoint

2004-10-16T00:34:00.000-07:00

from the IAPP conference

The Evening Herald newspaper report of Teenangels in Plymouth, England

2004-10-16T00:31:00.000-07:00

this is plymouth - news, entertainment, jobs, homes and carsPUPILS IN INTERNET CAMPAIGN

STUART ABEL AND DAVID MACAULAY

12:00 - 15 October 2004

Plymouth pupils are to be recruited to teach children about the dangers of the internet in a pioneering scheme. The Teenangels will be specially trained to help protect fellow pupils from the dangers of cyber bullying, grooming and cyber stalking.

The scheme, which is widely used in America, will put the city at the vanguard of a scheme so far pioneered in only one other British city, Bradford.

Plymouth Sutton MP Linda Gilroy was joined by a 20-year-old American director of Teenangels at a launch in Westminster yesterday.

Teams of young people aged between 13 and 18 will be recruited at Lipson Community College and Stoke Damerel Community College to teach fellow pupils how to use the internet safely.

The idea is that they will be able to spread the word about the dangers of the internet to children of their own age, and younger pupils, better than teachers or parents.

Mrs Gilroy hopes the scheme will take off and be extended to more city schools.

The scheme has already been welcomed by Tony Blair, speaking at Prime Minister's Question Time.

He said: "The internet obviously bestows enormous opportunities and benefits, but it also creates the dangers to which she [Mrs Gilroy] draws attention, so it is important that we make sure that we do everything possible to protect our children, who may been gaining access to unsuitable material."

Teenangels, set up by the Wired Safety company in America, have been working in a schools for some time in the US. They are trained in safe use of the internet and arrange sessions with experts and law enforcement officers.

Mrs Gilroy told the launch in Westminster's Portcullis House: "Plymouth is a really good place for this to work. We have strong global links particularly with the US to where the Pilgrim Fathers and indeed the Pilgrim Mothers set sail. Schools are facing an increasing challenge trying to ensure that they protect their computer facilities from this kind of thing."

Brittany Bacon, 20, from New Jersey is the director of Teenangels. She is currently working as Mrs Gilroy's intern. She warned of the insidious dangers of cyber bullying. "It has caused suicides. It can be things such as polls on who is the ugliest girl in the school."

The Teenangels will be given six week intensive courses before embarking on training sessions in the Plymouth schools. The scheme could start running some time next month.

Lipson Community College principal Steve Baker said: "It seems really good. We have a group of youngsters who are really interested in the idea. The Teenangels have worked with agencies such as the FBI in the United States. The internet is something that has changed the world we live in and we must aim to educate young people accordingly."

teenangels in england

2004-10-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

although teenangels began in New York in 1999, it quickly moved to the UK. The first UK team was trained in 1999 (and is no longer active). The second official UK chapter became active in 2003 when the daughter of one of our Wiredsafety.org volunteers discovered a problem at her tech college with cyberbullying.

Inpatient with waiting for me to arrive in Bradford, England to personally conduct their training, Jennie (the chapter's founder) used sections of my UK and US books, content from our websites and other things to create her own teenangels training manual, and started training them herself.

One of the teenangels from the Bardford, UK chapter has moved to another town and will start a new chapter there, as well.

The teenangels director, herself one of the first teenangels chapter formed in 1999 in NY, will set up new chapters starting in Plymouth, England, and soon in London. The Newham chapter that had become inactive is expected to restart again as well.

want to create a teenangels chapter?
we'll help!
let us know by e-mailing teenangels@wiredsafety.org

thanks,
Parry

Parliament, teenangels, MP Gilroy and Tony Blair

2004-10-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

Today Linda Gilroy MP, an incredible and caring woman, hosted an event at Parliament briefing others on the work of teenangels in the UK and around the world. Several teenangels attended, including Brittany (one of the original five teenangels, who i now interning for MP Gilroy), Jennie (who heads up Bradford teenangels in the UK) and two Bradford teenangels members, Kim and Marc.

The event went very well (and we'll share more later), but yesterday, MP Gilroy asked Tony Blair an oral question about teenangels, to which he responded. This process is how the House of Commons works and can be found at www.parliament.uk, by clicking on the house of commons link.

taken from the official transcript this is her question and his response. (IWF is a wonderful group which we support and which has helped train the teenangels over the years.)

"Linda Gilroy (Plymouth, Sutton) (Lab/Co-op): Does the Prime Minister agree that although safe use of the internet opens up worlds of learning and adventure unknown to previous generations of children, it also opens up new dangers of cyber bullying, cyber stalking and cyber grooming, to name but a few? Will he welcome the work of WiredSafety in supporting Teenangels, a group of young people teaching themselves the safe use of the internet? Will he also welcome the launch of their UK activity in Portcullis House tomorrow?

The Prime Minister: I entirely agree about the importance of the issue that my hon. Friend raises and with what she said about the need both to help children use the internet safely and to combat child pornography. As she probably knows, the UK has perhaps the world's best regime for tackling child pornography, the Internet Watch Foundation, and we continue to work closely with the industry, law enforcement agencies and children's charities to seek ways of protecting children from abuse. The internet obviously bestows enormous opportunities and benefits, but it also creates the dangers to which she draws attention, so it is important that we make sure that we do everything possible to protect our children, who may be gaining access to unsuitable material."

Pretty terrific!
and, the PM was right. The UK has a terrific scheme in place to protect kids from harmful activities online, and its Home Office Task Force has done incredible work.
thanks to all! WiredSafety is proud to be part of this initiative!

our thanks to Linda Gilroy for making us part of UK history! :-)

Parry

InternetSuperHeroes.org, about Spider-Man and Parry Wichita Eagle | 10/06/2004 | THE WEB HERO

2004-10-06T15:59:00.000-07:00

Wichita Eagle | 10/06/2004 | THE WEB HEROA presentation by Parry Aftab and Spider-Man to houndreds of 4th graders in Kansas is featured by Wichita newspaper.

PATRIOT Act section 2709 ruling - ACLU vs. Ashcroft - aftab.com analysis

2004-10-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

PATRIOT Act section 2709 ruling - ACLU vs. Ashcroft

The Privacy Lawyer - what does privacy mean to you?

2004-10-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

The Privacy Lawyer

ESSENCE.com the article about raising tech savvy kids - featuring Parry and WiredSafety.org

2004-10-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

ESSENCE.com

PATRIOT Act section 2709 ruling - ACLU vs. Ashcroft

2004-09-29T22:49:00.000-07:00

PATRIOT Act section 2709 ruling - ACLU vs. Ashcroft

Parry's article on cybercrimes and how conartists use piracy to steal your identity

2004-09-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

The Privacy Lawyer

Internet Super Heroes - Cyberbullying, Flaming and Cyberstalking for Parents, Educators and Law Enforcement

2004-09-09T22:20:00.000-07:00

Internet Super Heroes - Cyberbullying, Flaming and Cyberstalking for Parents, Educators and Law EnforcementA good way to spot third-party cyberbullying or cyberbullying-by-proxy is to search for your name, address, screen name and telephone numbers online. Put them in quotes, and search for them often. By being careful, you may avoid becoming a victim of cyberbullying that turns into offline harassment and stalking.

Parry Aftab

Internet Super Heroes - Cyberbullying, Flaming and Cyberstalking [CFC] for Kids, Tweens and Teens

2004-09-09T22:18:00.000-07:00

Internet Super Heroes - Cyberbullying, Flaming and Cyberstalking [CFC] for Kids, Tweens and TeensEven mild mannered kids can be frightening when you don't know they are mild mannered kids online. This is a true story about a young preteen who sent death threats to others for fun.

Parry Aftab

Internet Super Heroes - Cyberbullying, Flaming and Cyberstalking

2004-09-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

Internet Super Heroes - Cyberbullying, Flaming and CyberstalkingImportant information about cyberbullying, a good general overview.

Parry Aftab

A bit of information from Dixons about their TeenAngels program - Bradford, UK

2004-09-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

USATODAY.com - Teenangels make cybersafety a number one priority

2004-09-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

USATODAY.com - Teenangels make cybersafety a number one priority

How to avoid provoking others unintentionally, online

2004-09-03T06:20:00.000-07:00

Internet Super Heroes - Cyberbullying, Flaming and Cyberstalking [CFC] for Kids, Tweens and TeensI wrote this article for InternetSuperHeroes.org, on ways ot avoid getting into trouble online. This and a matching article about thinking before you click send will do lots to help avoid flaming matches.

Parry

The New York Times > Education > Internet Gives Teenage Bullies Weapons to Wound From Afar

2004-08-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

The New York Times > Education > Internet Gives Teenage Bullies Weapons to Wound From AfarSee a few of the NJ TeenAngels meeting with Parry to talk about the new cyberbullying prevention program for kids, tweens and teens. Visit InternetSuperHeroes.org for more information about the program or to help.

What about IMs...what settings should teens use?

2004-08-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

Most teens are using IM, what are the tricks for setting your account up to give you the most privacy? Do you teenangels have any suggestions?

Parry

Marvel and WiredSafety Launch in DC!

2004-07-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Marvel and WiredSafety Partnership Reception
Hosted by Senator Ted Stevens

On July 13, in the Mansfield Building of the Capitol, Senator Stevens hosted a reception launching the WiredSafety and Marvel partnership. After driving down to DC in the morning with Parry and two of our Teenangels, Kevin and Alyssa, we first went to the Federal Trade Commission building to meet Commissioner Harbor. Her kids are Tweenangels and attended the conference as well. She was very sweet and charming and was willing to offer whatever help we needed. Commissioner Harbour also introduced us to Commissioner Thompson who was kind enough to take a couple of hours to talk to us.

He trained me, Kevin, and Alyssa in the different aspects of privacy in the FTC, and what roll they play in ensuring that sites are living up to their privacy standards. Commissioner Thompson specializes in international privacy and explained to us the challenge of developing and enforcing international privacy standards. He elaborated on the need for cooperation and compromise among the different countries, as well of the sharing of information regarding privacy. We also learned about the FTC’s involvement in the recent Hooked on Phonics case. Hooked on Phonics, contrary to their privacy policy, was selling their customers’ information to third parties. After being discovered they changed their privacy policy to indicate this practice, but did not change the date on the privacy policy, which is necessary to indicate to their customers that a change has been made. (You can read more about this at Parry Aftab’s website, http://www.aftab.com, and at her blog, http://theprivacylawyer.blogspot.com.)

Commissioner Thompson expounded on the current hot issues of privacy, including RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). I realized that there are no clean cut solutions when it comes to privacy, and as technology advances, there is more opportunity for compromise in consumers’ privacy. It is important, therefore, to gauge consumers’ thoughts on privacy and how much of it they are willing to sacrifice for certain conveniences. This is clearly a daunting and complicated task, namely because many consumers are not even aware of the privacy issues. However, through the FTC, awareness campaigns, and the work of Teenangels and WiredSafety, we can go about educating the public on such matters and encourage them to become active in taking control of their personal information and rights to privacy. After this training, Commissioner Thompson shared more personal advice, namely about music and the arts, the pursuit of dreams, the importance of questioning, and focusing on what we can do opposed to what we can not. A brilliant man, he was an inspiration to us all and we appreciated the time and honesty he shared with us.

Without a moment to lose, we hurried over to the Capitol to set up for the reception. It went better than we could have hoped for. Many Senators, industry members, Congressmen, Commissioners, press, interns, and best of all, kids, were in attendance. The safety skit put on by Marvel characters was a huge hit. It was a great way to launch a very special and important relationship between Marvel and WiredSafety that I believe will be the future of Internet safety education.

The program will involve special comic books dedicated to all aspects of our programs, from cyber-bullying, privacy, stranger danger, online security, safe searching, where to report cybercrimes and abuse, how to handle online intellectual property responsibly (starting with movies and software piracy), balance between online and offline activities, safe e-commerce, identity theft, fraud and scams, malicious code, etc. The comics will be distributed without charge.

In addition, we will deliver live character appearances, from a simple Spiderman appearance (accompanied in each case by one of our trained WiredSafety volunteers), to larger multiple character shows which will be used to provide online safety, privacy and responsible surfing themed shows to schools, community groups, shopping malls, retailers, libraries, state fairs, corporate events and large corporate centers. Marvel will be contributing a special edition comic, using all their star artists and superheroes to deliver safe, private and responsible surfingmessages, each in one page illustrations.

Lastly, we are constructing a new free website, InternetSuperheroes.org, to promote the program and all youth online safety, privacy, security and responsible surfing programs, using the characters and Spidey's Web to create clubs, lesson plans for schools, printable and downloadable materials, all without charge.

We appreciate the support of Marvel, Senator Ted Stevens, Kelli, Christine, the Commissioners and all those without whom this day would have been impossible. It certainly was a day I will always remember.

SMS Texting Speed Record Set!!

2004-06-29T17:33:00.000-07:00

A 23 year old female from singapore recently set the SMS Texting ( Text Messaging on your cell phone ).

She typed a 160 Chartacter long message in seconds!!!

To see the whole story click Here

The Top Prize For This is $15,000!!! WOW

Contestants had to type this message: "The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human." Using the cell phone's predictive text function -- which guesses words as letters are typed in -- was not allowed, and the target phrase's punctuation needed to be accurate, as well.

Justices block Internet Law!

2004-06-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a law meant to punish pornographers who peddle dirty pictures to Web-surfing kids is probably an unconstitutional muzzle on free speech.

To Read The Whole Article Click Here

If you have any comments on this article please post them to this Post!

Brian
Teenangels.org

The World Meet 802.11i - 802.11i Meet The World

2004-06-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

The IEEE 802.11i specification, the latest set of rules to bolster security on wireless LANs, has received final approval, according to a co-author of the standard.

The IEEE 802.11i subcommittee signed off on the standard Thursday, according to a statement from Trapeze Networks Inc. that was attributed to Dan Harkins, a software engineer at the Pleasanton, California, wireless LAN equipment vendor. Harkins was a co-author of several portions of the specification.

The specification adds the AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) protocol to 802.11, which forms the basis of Wi-Fi wireless LAN technologies. AES is a stronger form of encryption than is found in the current WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) mechanism and is the security standard for wireless networks that carry U.S. government information.
The Wi-Fi Alliance has said it plans to certify products for 802.11i support beginning in September.

( Information From Infoworld.com ) Click Here to Read The Article

I think this new standard is a great move the the safety of all users of wireless :) This is great news in the 802.11 World.

Brian
Teenangels.org

Online Safety Tips For Parents - Part 2

2004-06-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

Here is Part 2 of our online safety tips for parents.

5. Be aware of the sites your children visit, & the chat rooms they go into. As they get older, trust should build. Encourage discussions between you & your child about what they enjoy online. Always be open. Take time & visit some of these sites that they enjoy (if the children are younger).

6. Make sure that your children feel comfortable coming to you with questions. When things go wrong, don't overreact. Let them know that it's not their fault. Educate yourself on what to do when things do go wrong.

7. IRC, or Internet Relay Chat, is a chat program that is very different from America Online. IRC has no terms of services like AOL, so people can talk about whatever they want & are generally not restricted. This is good & bad. It is good because its users can speak freely about whatever they want. It is bad because your children are not protected from obscenity & pedophiles. An AOL user could have their membership suspended or terminated for using obscene language, flaming, or stalking, but an IRC user could not. Some channels on IRC have channel rules, but this is the exception. That's why it is not recommended that parents let their children use IRC unless they are directly supervised.

8. Remember to monitor your children's compliance with your rules, especially when it comes to the amount of time your children spend on the computer. Be clear about your rules. Once you have discussed them with your children, you may want to post them on the computer or in another place near the computer where they can read them while they surf. It will help them remember.

9. Get to know your child's "online friends" just as you get to know all of their other friends. Ask about who is on their buddy list & whom they talk to most frequently. This way you get a feel for whom they are talking to.

10. Warn your children that people are not always what they seem to be. Discuss this with them & be open. Parents & children can both be teachers. By having open discussions about safety, dangers, advantages, & disadvantages, you & your child can learn from each other.

Online Safety Tips For Teens - Part 2

2004-06-27T12:58:00.000-07:00

Here is part 2 of my Online Safety Tips For Teens :)

For more information please visit Teenangels.org

Untile Next Time Safe Surfing

Brian
Teenangels.org

5. Never meet people in real life whom you meet on the Internet. If you insist on breaking this rule, make sure that you tell someone you trust whom you are meeting & any information that you know about this person. If you don't feel comfortable telling someone this person's personal information, you might want to seal the information in an envelope & tell someone to open it only if you are not home by a specific time.

Tell someone you trust where you are going & when. Before you go, talk to this person on the phone, & maybe have your parents speak to their parents. When you call, make sure that you block your phone number from caller ID (by dialing *67) or call from a pay phone.

Talk to a friend & have them look at some of your conversations to see if they pick up on anything misleading that you missed.

Make sure that you meet in a very public place. Bring along someone that you trust (preferably an adult) & keep your first couple of meetings to a minimum.

When you leave, don't go straight home; go to another public place & make sure that you are not being followed. Don't be afraid or embarrassed to say no.

6. Never open e-mail with an attachment from an address that you don't know. It may contain a virus or worm that can destroy your computer. Never download anything from someone you don't know or an unreliable source.

If you receive an attachment from someone you do know, make sure you run it through an anti virus program.

If you get a regular e-mail from someone you don't know, just delete it; don't reply to it, because it could be from a hacker. Delete chain letters & SPAM Do not forward chains or "tracked" letters, because they are fake.

7. Be smart; apply common sense & good judgment. Don't let down your guard & become infatuated with people you meet online. Don't break the rules for someone. If someone seems too good to be true, they usually are. Always remain in control of the situation.

8. If you think that you are being harassed or stalked, never reply to the harasser. Make sure you let an adult know what's going on. And if you're really afraid, report it to the police.

9. Just because someone gives you their personal information or sends you an e-mail, it doesn't mean that you have to send one back, or give them your information. You are always in charge. If someone is bothering you, just sign off. You don't have to tell anyone anything that you don't want to.

10. It's easy to become addicted to or obsessed with the computer & Internet by spending too much time online. Try to maintain a healthy balance between cyberland & the real world. Remember, the Internet is a great place for learning & talking to people, but as a teen your social life shouldn't revolve around the Internet.

Teenangels Breaking News - San Francisco Update

2004-06-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

During the second week of June 2004, I had the unique opportunity of attending and speaking at the IAPP/Trust E Privacy Futures Conference. The guest list included the Chief Privacy Officers of all the major technology companies i.e. Microsoft, Oracle, AOL, Proctor & Gamble, and Google, as well as members of the FTC. Some of California’ s Congressional Representatives were there too! I spoke on the plenary (main) panel with Parry, Brian, Pat, Emma, and Joey (our newest Teenangel!).

We talked to these adults, some of the most powerful in the business, about what kids and teens REALLY think when it comes to privacy. We explained to them that above all we want RESPECT. We don’t want to be tricked or deceived. We want what happens to our information to be OUR choice. In other words, we should be told exactly what the sites will be doing with our information and have the option of allowing it or not.

We ARE willing to give our information to a site, as long as it won’t be linked to personally identifiable information; either way, we want to know and be able to choose what is done with it. Teens and kids are particularly inclined to offer information if we trust the site, and if the site offers us something that interests us. Surprising to many adults, including Parry, the teens and kids we surveyed actually trusted Microsoft more than anyone, Google and Disney included! Furthermore, we don’t usually fall for gimmicks. In other words, if sites are offering us something, it better be something we actually want, but also something that does not sound too good to be true.

The Conference attendees loved us! They found the teen perspective very useful and intelligently formed. At the end of our presentation I solicited help from the audience. I told them our goals, including completing and distributing safety, privacy, and training videos, forming more Teenangels chapters, and spreading the word through our site, brochures, manuals, and activity books.

I also mentioned our long-time goal of a Teenangels conference. Guess what?! By the end of the presentation, Microsoft, Oracle, and others had already begun to plan our conference! It’s all in the works now and you will get more details later, but so far, the conference will take place NEXT AUGUST, on Puget Sound (Seattle area). It will last about 3 days and about 300 teens from across the country will be specially selected to attend. We are going to teach them how to be Teenangels all at once, by bringing in all of the experts in security, privacy, and safety to train them. While there will be an underlying safety focus, and plenary panels that all will have to attend, the teens will be able to choose what specific track they’d like to follow, i.e. privacy, techie stuff (like hacking etc.), or content. Through SMS texting, Internet polling, and live video of the conference available on the Internet, hundreds of teens will learn from this conference, even if they aren’t physically there.

Others at the privacy conference also showed interest in linking our site to theirs, sponsoring Teenangels chapters in their towns, funding the videos and more. It was a great success! After working for the past 6 years on something you believe in, it’s so rewarding to see others take a strong interest in it and want to help. That was probably one of the best days of my life so far…

So as you can see, Teenangels is ready to take flight. We are the experts! And we have an audience, the world, ready to hear what we have to say. Blog, talk to your friends about being Teenangels, and get excited about being a Teenangel. You have no idea just how impressive that is and will continue to be. Thanks for everything you have done and will continue to do.

So who is ready to help?