Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Trust no one. Reveal nothing. Unless, of course, they’re already your real-life friends or family. But even then, be wary.
In a nutshell, that’s what Linn County Sheriff’s Deputy Micah Smith told a dozen participants at a “Tech Smartz” presentation on Oct. 23 at Sweet Home High School.
Smith investigates computer-related crimes for Linn County Sheriff’s Office, he said.
“My passion is community education on Internet safety.”
He is certified in computer forensics by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Some 14.5 million children ages 3 through 11 are online, he said, and 12- to 17-year-olds make up 18.2 percent of U.S. Internet users.
Children, as well as adults, face a number of risks using the Internet, he said. Among them are schoolyard bullies who get nastier online, exposure to inappropriate material, sexual solicitation and identity theft.
What constitutes inappropriate material varies from family to family, he said, and also nation to nation. What is considered appropriate in Germany, for example, may put someone in jail in the United States.
He’s not necessarily talking about pornography, he said. Other inappropriate sites may include promotion of anorexia, hate groups or suicide pact groups.
“As a part of training, we have to be exposed to (sexual solicitation),” Smith said. In training, “I was solicited merely for my screen name (which included the name Ashley).”
When the person on the other end of the exchange put up a webcam, Smith was shown a live, nude male, he said.
Cyber bullying is a newer term coming into use by families and schools, he said. It can range from flaming to posting fake or hateful myspace.com pages, for example.
Fourteen- to 18-year-olds are most targeted in the area of identity theft, Smith said. Getting information on that demographic is the easiest. Members of that age group are comfortable with posting their personal and private information online where it can be viewed by anyone.
The Internet can be a dangerous place, he said.
Online predators can get information easily, he said. Images posted to the Internet can never be completely removed if they have been copied by Internet users elsewhere. Many victims don’t even realize they’re victims as some predators use photos or information while victims remain unaware.
Predators lie, cheat, blackmail and stalk all while “they appear to be your friend when they’re not,” Smith said, and 70 percent of this activity takes place at the victim’s home.
A top priority for many predators is personal information – not really name, date of birth or Social Security numbers, but personal interests are what they are after, Smith said. “They need to know what makes kids tick.”
Of 13- to 17-year-olds, he said, 61 percent have personal profiles on-line somewhere, such as myspace.com or facebook.com. Those profiles often have revealing information, including the basics, such as name and age, even when the teen believes it’s hidden or absent. More importantly for a predator, those profiles often reveal what’s on the minds of the teens – their likes and dislikes, their personal thoughts and moods.
Teens will often try to protect their information, Smith said, but they make mistakes. He showed one myspace.com page where the boy’s username was Nicky B. The baseball photo on the page had his last name across the back in plain view of any Internet user.
Another profile was that of a young high school student in Massachusetts who always feels guilt-ridden. Her high school was easily determined from the main page.
One myspace.com page paints a fairly wholesome picture of a single male named Danny from Arizona. Nowhere on his profile does he mention that he is a level-three (of four) sex offender listed in the Arizona sex offender database, Smith said.
“You talk to people you don’t know in real life, you might be talking to Keith Wilkins,” he said.
“The Internet can be a safe place,” Smith said. “I’m a firm believer, and I know the sheriff is too, the best way to protect your kids is to educate yourself.”
Parents are often reluctant to ask their children about what they’re doing on-line, Smith said. Things may be going well, with few arguments, and the parents don’t want to rock the boat.
He suggests that parents work with their children to develop Internet rules. Parents need to talk to their children, and they need to understand the sites their children are using; and Internet connections should never be available in a child’s bedroom.
The biggest caution he can give though, he said, is “don’t talk to anyone you don’t know in real life,” Smith said. That goes for console gaming, social networking and anything else.
When facing cyber bullying, Smith said, users should tell the person kindly to stop while recording or logging the harassment. The user should tell an adult, a teacher or law enforcement, he said. Messages should be kept as evidence.
In general, profile pages should be completely private, Smith said. Myspace.com, for example, can be set so that only friends can view your page; and only real-life friends should be allowed as friends there.
Smith recommends taking advantage of the features on most sites that allow users to report offensive or mean comments and block abusive and offensive contact.
“I’m a firm believer that Myspace can be used safely and effectively by everyone,” he said. That goes for other social networking sites, but the tools must be used. Pages must be designated private and only used for real friends.
For more information and to contact Smith, visit linnonline.org. Smith said he is planning to offer his presentation in communities throughout the county on a regular basis.