Just recently, GMA 7 News TV launched social media responsibility campaign, "THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK".
Cyberspace offers convenience. You can talk and see your friends online, you can vote online, you can shop online. There are even schools where enrollment is done online.
We find fun in doing online activities. Like social networking which gives us freedom to express ourselves and increase our circle of friends. But together with this freedom comes an increased exposure to people who have less-than- friendly intentions. There are stories of people who were stalked by someone they met online, who were victims of identity theft, and whose computer was hacked.
Staying Safe
Here are some tips from the Federal Trade Commission of the United States for socializing safely online.
1. Before deciding to join a site, think about how that site works. Some sites only allow a defined community of users especially in viewing posted content, others allow eveyone.
2. Keep control over access to your profile. Don't make your profile accessible to everyone. Consider limiting it to a select group of people, such as your friends from school, clubs, team, community group or family.
3. Keep private information to yourself. Don't post your full name, address, phone number, or bank and credit card account numbers. One or two information of these information may be used to harm you.
4. Make sure your screen name doesn't say too much about you. Even if your screen name make you anonymous, it doesn't take a genius to combine clues to figure out who you are and where you can be found.
5 Post only information that you are comfortable sharing with others. . many people can see your page, including your parents, your teachers, the police, the college you might want to apply to, the job you might want to apply for.
6. Remember that once you post information online, you can't take it back. Even if you delete the information from a site, older versions exist on other people's computers.
7. Consider not posting your photo. It can be altered and broadcast in ways you may not be happy about. If you do post one, ask yourself whether it's one your mom would display in the living room.
8. Flirting with strangers online could have serious consequences. Because some people lie about who they really are, you never really know who you're dealing with.
9. Be cautious if a new online friend wants to meet you in person. Before you decide to meet anyone, do your research. Ask whether any of your friends know the person, and see what background you can dig up through online search engines. If you decide to meet the person, be smart about it; meet in a public place during the day, with a friend you trust. Tell an adult or responsible sibling where you're going, and when you expect to be back.
10. Trust your gut if you have
suspicions. If you feel threatened by someone or uncomfortable because
of something online, tell an adult you trust and report it to the police
and the social networking site. You could end up preventing someone
else from becoming a victim.
In our physical world, we use common sense and rules we learned at home and school to avoid harmful situations. We should also practice the same precautionary measures in cyber world.
Always remember, think before you click.
