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Social networking sites, also referred to sometimes as "friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend sites", draws its origin from traditional social networks where you get connected to new people through people or group of people you already know. Today it has become the most popular mode of communication especially among the young.
While social networking can definitely help us to enhance our online visibility, it could also be a source of trouble if our profile is hacked and misused by someone or someone creates a fake profile in your name.
One of the most disturbing facts about any social networking site is that predators and criminals see and use such sites for locating and luring potential victims from the comfort of their homes, efficiently and anonymously. To aggravate difficulties, the identity of a predator is not immediately recognisable as they operate in a cleverly masked manner, many a times giving the appearance of a contemporary child with a lot of pocket money and willingness to help. They attract kids who are eager to discuss their problems in a different online forum.
Security implications and ethical issues
Social networking sites encourage you to provide a certain amount of personal information. When deciding how much information to reveal, often we do not exercise the same amount of caution as we would when meeting a stranger in person. This is because:
we think the internet provides us a sense of anonymity
there is a lack of physical interaction that gives a false sense of security
we forget that our tailored information for our friends is also accessible to the predators as well.
Precautions for parents
Children are especially susceptible to the threats that social networking sites present. Although many of these sites have age restrictions, children may misrepresent their age to join such sites. By teaching children about internet safety, being aware of their online habits, and guiding them to appropriate sites, parents can make sure that the children become safe and responsible users.
Some recommended precautions include:
Placing computer in central location in your home and never in your child's bedroom.
Take the "don't talk to strangers" concept to the digital world also. After all, children have a tendency to believe all.
Get interested in your child's online friends without disrespecting their privacy.
Define personal standards regarding privacy.
Become familiar with chatting tools and acronyms used by children. It will help your monitor your wards efficiently.
Talk to your child about dangers on the net. It is never too early.
Keep an open-door policy. Encourage children in trouble to approach you.
Don't blame it on the internet and computers. It happens in the real world too.
Participate in your child's online activities.
Encourage children to share their passwords with you.
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ESSENTIAL TIPS
Control personal information
Do not post information online that would make you vulnerable, such as your address or information about your schedule or routine. Ensure that information posted is not more than you would be comfortable sharing with strangers.
If it's on the net, it's not private
Only post information (including photos) you are comfortable with anyone seeing. Once posted, nothing can be taken back as even after deleting them, saved or cached versions may still exist on other machines.
Be wary of strangers
The internet makes it easy for people to misrepresent their identities and motives. Consider limiting the people who are allowed to contact you on these sites. If you interact with people you do not know, never agree to meet them in person. Remember the concept of 'don't talk to strangers' online.
Be skeptical
Don't believe everything you read online. People may post false or misleading information, even their own identities.
Use strong passwords
Protect your account with passwords that cannot easily be guessed. A strong password consists of at least eight characters, has a combination of alphabets (both capital and small), numerals and special characters, and is not related to your personal or biographical information.
Evaluate your settings
Every site has privacy settings. Modify and customize default settings to restrict access to your profile.
Use and maintain authorized anti-virus software
Anti-virus software recognizes most known viruses and protects your PC against them, so that you can detect and remove the virus before it can do any damage. Because attackers are continually writing new viruses, it is important to keep your definitions up to date.
Report misuse and abuse
It may sound embarrassing for many to let others know of their follies. For safety as a whole, one should report abuses. Otherwise criminals will continue to surprise many innocent victims with unexpected activities.
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Special
SEBASTIAN EDASSERY is president of KLM and is a manager in the Forensic & Dispute Practice of Deloitte, India at its Mumbai office where he is responsible for digital forensic analysis and corporate fraud investigations. He is a master trainer on the panel of Interpol for cyber/hi-tech crime investigations. Earlier, he headed the training wing for cyber/hi-tech crime investigations at the Academy of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for nearly 10 years.