February 2010
Recipe for Disaster? Chatroulette.com
Submitted by Safe Internet on Sun, 2010-02-28 01:00Guest post by: Linda Criddle, president of Safe Internet Alliance
A new website making the rounds with teens is chatroulette.com – a website forum where users (supposed to be 16 or older) can chat, or talk via webcam (built into most newer laptops, or $15 bucks at a store) with another user selected randomly (that’s the roulette part) by the site. You don’t get to select who you ‘meet’ by any criteria, it’s just the luck of the draw. If you don’t like the person you can take your chances on another roulette pick.
New Ad Council Message – Beware What you Share
Submitted by Safe Internet on Sat, 2010-02-27 01:00Guest post by: Linda Criddle, president of Safe Internet Alliance
Misguided Bill Wants to Stop Predators on Social Networking Sites
Submitted by Safe Internet on Sat, 2010-02-27 01:00Guest post by: Linda Criddle, president of Safe Internet Alliance
California state Senator George Runner has proposed a bill that would ban convicted sex offenders from creating profiles on social networking sites. This is similar bills passed in New York, Illinois, and to several being considered in several other states.
School accused of spying on kids via school issued laptops with webcams
Submitted by Safe Internet on Fri, 2010-02-26 17:08Guest post by: Linda Criddle, president, Safe Internet Alliance
Screening of "Digital Nation" Documentary Produced by Fronline of PBS
Submitted by Safe Internet on Thu, 2010-02-25 19:20Guest post by: Joy Howell, Board Member, Safe Internet Alliance
Mitigate Risks When Using Shortened URL’s
Submitted by Safe Internet on Wed, 2010-02-17 14:06Guest post by: Linda Criddle, president of Safe Internet Alliance
Lengthy URLs are hard to share with others, difficult (if not impossible) to remember, are more likely to break in emails, and can simply be too long to fit into short messaging sites like Twitter – which limits posts to 140 characters. To solve all these issues, several great free programs are available to shorten URL’s.
Nearly half of Tested Computers Infected with Malware
Submitted by Safe Internet on Tue, 2010-02-16 13:40Guest post by: Linda Criddle, president of Safe Internet Alliance
Out of 22.7 million computers tested for malware, 48% were infected according to a new Phishing Activity 
Trends Report by the APWG (Anti-phishing Working Group).
Is your computer among the infected half?
Safe Internet Alliance Honors “Safer Internet Day” With Tips for Parents on Internet Safety
Submitted by Safe Internet on Wed, 2010-02-10 12:46Yesterday marked the 7th annual celebration of Safer Internet Day, which was initiated by the European Commission. Around the world countries, companies, and individuals observed the internationally recognized day which aims to promote Internet safety and awareness. The theme this year "Think B4 U Post" targeted the concept of more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones amongst young people.
Tune in tomorrow for the PBS FRONTLINE documentary, "Digital Nation"
Submitted by SafeInternet on Mon, 2010-02-01 15:02Digital Nation, a PBS documentary that airs February 2 at 9 p.m., begins with a simple observation: Rachel Dretzin, who produced a 2007 PBS documentary called "Growing Up Online" and co-hosts Digital Nation, visits a scene in her own household in which she's cooking dinner for her family. Suddenly, she realizes that her husband and older son are using laptops at the table while her other children play with their iPhones.