Is your Internet safe? / Do you know what your children are viewing?
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No Comments [ Add Comment ]By JAMIE LAMPROS
Standard-Examiner
SOUTH OGDEN -- POS, 420, 9, GNOC, PAL, PA, PBB, RUH, RH/18, WILCO.
Make sense to you? If not, you might want to brush up on your acronyms. Especially if you have a teenager at home.
Kids are using acronyms more and more to communicate messages on the Internet and their cell phones, and law enforcement officials say many are using them to keep their parents out of the loop while talking with strangers.
"There are over 1,500 acronyms that kids are using to communicate," said Brian Minster, South Ogden City fire captain and program administrator for community police and education. "With the use of these abbreviations, they can talk to anyone about anything."
For instance, Minster said, POS stands for Parent Over Shoulder. GNOC means Get Naked On Cam. WILCO means Will Comply.
Minster, along with several other officials, spoke about the dangers of the Internet and how to protect yourself and your children during a special Internet safety class.
Sariah Donnahoo, community education director for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, said acronyms are just a small part of the problem when it comes to kids communicating with the wrong people or inappropriately communicating with one another.
"Technology provides kids access to the world. They can talk to anyone through Instant Message, Text, You Tube, Facebook, MySpace, any chat room and even online gaming sites. These places are like a candy store for evil people to start grooming their victims," she said.
Donnahoo said Utah ranks No. 1 in the nation for home computer use.
The state also has the highest population of children in the nation. Donnahoo said it's extremely important parents are involved with their children and educate themselves on how to protect them.
"When you post a picture of yourself online, you are basically providing it to everyone," Minster said. "People can go in and alter the photo into anything they wish. They can put your head on a different body, mutilate it, show it in a violent way."
South Ogden Detective Brian Schultz said it's hard for the law to keep up with the constantly changing technology. However, he said, law enforcement is working to combat the problem.
"Predators are attacking young kids with every means they can," Schultz said. "It is so important that parents are involved. Check your child's cell phone. Keep the computer out in the open. We had a case where it only took the perpetrator three days to groom the victim."
Most victims are under the age of 18, Donnahoo said. They are attempting to disengage from their parents and are desperate for understanding, affection and attention. Perpetrators come along and casually start a conversation with the child. They appear genuine, keep in constant contact with the child, use flattery to draw them in and gain trust.
"Most perpetrators do not lie about their age," Donnahoo said. "Only 5 percent of online perpetrators pretend to be someone they're not."
There are several online networks parents should be aware of, said Donnahoo. Peer 2 Peer is one of those sites, because it allows users to connect with each other and directly access files from one another's hard drives.
"Peer 2 Peer is like an online swap meet. It's not regulated, and right now there is a huge problem with child pornography," Donnahoo said. "A lot of kids will go on there to swap music and other information, and parents think they are OK because they've installed filters to catch the bad stuff, but evil people will go anywhere kids will go."
Minster said there is help for parents. One device is a flash drive called SnoopStick. Plugged into any computer in the family network, it allows parents to monitor what their children are doing on the computer in real time. It also allows parents to block sites and even shut down the computer if a child is on a prohibited Web page.
"It only costs about $60 and allows you not only to view things in real time but allows you to view activity from any day," Minster said. "You can view instant messages, visited Web sites, screen snapshots, incoming and outgoing e-mail. It's a great invention."
Officials also talked about other ways to protect yourself and your computer. They include downloading software to keep people from hacking into your personal files and staying off sites that will infect your computer with a virus.
To get help now, parents may call the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Tipline at 301-1195 or e-mail www.rhettmcquiston@utah.gov; www.netsmartz.org; or www.cybertipline.com; or call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 24-hour hot line at (800) 843-5678.
Another Internet safety class is planned for October. For information and to register, call 622-2804.
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