The internet is a great place to chat with friends, create websites, learn new things, and have fun.The internet has attracted a new group of criminals who will try to get your information for their own purposes.You need to be a smart surfer to stay safe.You can have a safe internet experience if you keep a sharp eye out for threats like hackers and cyber-bullies.
Step 1: Do not give out identifying information on the internet.
It's like giving away your life on the internet.People are on social networks.They don't realize when they're sharing too much information.Oversharing your personal information can endanger you.You can use a nickname or fake name if you need to enter your name.You can use an incomplete form of your name.If you need to enter your name on a form, use "Eric P." instead of your full name.Wherever possible, maximize your privacy account.Many sites and messenger services have different levels of privacy.You can add your name, date of birth, and school to the content you post.Only your immediate friends are allowed to see this data.Ensure that this information is kept confidential by exploring your account settings.Don't post other unique identifying information like your Social Security Number.A hacker could easily steal your identity with these pieces of information in hand.Don't use a picture of you as your profile picture on social networks.Put a picture of something you love.If you love eating grapes, post a picture on your social media account or chat messenger service.If someone were to find your real picture, they might use it to harm you.Ask your parents what personal information they want you to share online if you are a minor.Sending messages can make you a sitting duck if you overload a user with information.
Step 2: Your location should be kept private.
Do not give your location to someone you don't know.If you live in a city, you should not share your address.It's a good idea to keep your school a secret when talking or posting online.An internet predator could pretend to be someone you know with just a few details.If you tell someone online you live in a certain town and they know your age, they might be able to pose as someone you know or someone who lives nearby in order to get you to share important info.When posting photos of where you live, be careful.A partial or complete address can be found in a picture in front of your house or mailbox.Carefully examine all photos before posting them.
Step 3: Don't give out your personal contact information online.
This also refers to your social media sites and instant-messaging services.If you let the general public know about your contact information, you could get threatening or abusive messages.Keep your accounts out of the sight of your friends.Keep your domain name registration private if you have a website.If you list your domain privately, your contact information will show up for anyone conducting a domain ownership search, instead of your personal contact info.
Step 4: It's a good idea to think before posting.
Nude pictures or videos are the most obvious example.You could end up in trouble if you post images, text, or video which celebrate or admit to drug use, racism, and violence.There is no way of knowing what your boyfriend or girlfriend will do with this content.They might post the images online in revenge if you break up.If your social media accounts are private, people might repost your content in a public place where you don't want it to be seen.It is almost impossible to remove something from the internet.Don't post anything that could be seen by your mother or potential employer.If you don't want your friend to post on their social media or website, ask them to take it down.If they don't remove it, try to force them to do so by contacting their parents or a third party.Be proactive in preventing compromising content from being posted online by telling people who take potentially compromising pictures of you, "please do not post that online."Before posting anything online, check with your parents.
Step 5: Beware of strangers who want to meet.
If you get a message from someone you don't know who wants to meet, do not meet them unless you are comfortable doing so.Don't give in to being pressured by a stranger on the internet to give out your contact info.With the anonymity of the internet, anyone can claim anything.If you decide to meet someone on the internet, you should go to a public place like a restaurant or shopping mall to make sure they are who they claim to be.Check with your parent or guardian if you want to meet up with a friend you've met online.
Step 6: Don't listen to what they are telling you.
Cyberbullies often claim that there are other people who agree with them.They may say that others have contacted them privately about you in order to bolster their case that there is something wrong with you.This is common in long-term online communities.A number of users have contacted me about what you have said and agree with me that you are both stupid and ugly.
Step 7: Don't stay angry.
Abused messages shouldn't hurt your feelings.The goal of the cyberbully is to get a rise out of you.The cyberbully has won if you feel sad, hurt, or angry.Consider the cyberbully as a pathetic, sad individual who projects their weaknesses and flaws on others if you view the situation in a detached light.Cyberbullies use the anonymity afforded by the internet to hide who they are, like any other kind of bully.You can put their opinions and abuse in perspective by recognizing this.It is difficult to take seriously the worthless claims of a person.Don't blame yourself for what happened.Don't feel bad if the abusive person criticizes a shirt you wore in a picture you posted of yourself.You don't deserve online or offline abuse for the clothes you wear.When you cannot be cyberbullied, engage in hobbies and interests.Try to take a break from the web by playing a sport, picking up a musical instrument, or writing in a journal.Stress can be alleviated by running or biking.
Step 8: Don't reply to cyberbullies.
The sense of control that cyberbullies derive from taunting and harassing you is what makes them thrive.If you see their messages in your inbox or read them in a forum, do not reply in order to deny their charges or reply with an equally malicious line of slander.It would bring you down to their level.The user can be blocked on the forum or chat community.You cannot see their posts and they cannot send you messages.
Step 9: Contact the administrator to get the individual banned or reprimanded.
Abused messages and emails should be kept.Do not destroy them.If you can, create a subfolder for these messages and store them there.If you need to take more serious action, the messages will serve as evidence.Evidence that you have been a victim of cyberbullying can be found in the accumulated emails or messages.If you see a threatening or abusive post, report it to the forum administrator.If your cyberbully is sending messages directly to your email, you may need to contact their internet service provider in order to have their email account shut down.If you get emails from bully@aol.com, you can contact AOL to get that email address banned.You can find a full list of ISP contact information at http://www.search.org/resources/isp-list/.
Step 10: You should keep your firewall on.
Passwords and computer security are protected by your firewall.You can think of it like a lock on your door.If your internet is down, you open yourself up to hackers who can take your information, steal your passwords, and wreak havoc.The firewall should not be switched off.Only authorized programs that require it like games or video streaming services can be granted access to the firewall.
Step 11: Access with a PureVPN.
A virtual private network acts as a middleman between the web and your computer, and provides an extra layer of security to your online activities.It is almost impossible to trace your data back to you if you reside in a different city or country than the one the server is located in.If you want a double-whammy of internet privacy, combine the VPN with your browser's privacy mode.Privacy mode prevents information from being saved on your computer.
Step 12: Avoid the internet in public.
When you are out and about, but need to go online for directions or other information, do so with caution.It is necessary to spend a minimum amount of time on the internet.It's a good idea to know what the public wi-fi hotspot is called.Logging into the wrong one, or one with a similar name meant to deceive public users, could mean your online communication is being lifted by a hacker.Keep your home internet connection secure.It's easy for hackers to access your computer with open wi-fi.Every few years you should buy a new router.There are vulnerabilities that never get corrected.
Step 13: Passwords that are difficult to remember can be added to online accounts.
If you suffer a security breach, you will feel powerless and frustrated.Use long passwords with a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and other characters like underscores and dollar signs.If you want to make each password unique, write it down in a notebook and keep it in one place.The less common ones will be accessible with your password notebook.Passwords can be added to your devices.Passwords should be used for your computer, phone, and tablets.Don't use your lover's name, your date of birth, or your name as your password.
Step 14: Two-step security is used.
Two-step authentication is a process that many services have begun using.Gmail users can receive a text message with a random logon key after entering a password on unknown devices.If someone gains access to your password, they won't be able to use it on the devices you have selected as safe.
Step 15: Stay up to date with your software.
If your internet browser does not have the latest security fixes, you are vulnerable to hackers.When new updates are available, set your system and software to update automatically.It will keep your system safe.If you want it to auto-update, most software will ask you when you first install it.Do you want to save yourself the hassle of figuring out how to manually update later?
Step 16: It's a good idea to download with caution.
phishers and hackers often send mass emails to users with malicious software.Users who download email attachments without first scanning them or checking them against known bad files put themselves at risk for a security breach.Attachments from sources you do not trust should not be downloaded.
Step 17: It's a good idea to use the antivirus software.
It is possible to keep unwanted programs and files off of your computer.Some of the top antivirus programs are included in the list.If you are looking for a more affordable option, there are other good options.All of your software and OS should be up-to-date.The difference between free and paid software is that the free versions don't update as often as the paid versions.
Step 18: When your computer is not being used, turn it off.
People leave their computers on all the time.The longer your computer is on, the more likely it is that you become the target of a hacker.A computer that is not sending or receiving internet data cannot be accessed by anyone.