Is Free Public Wi-Fi Safe?

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Every Day Connected: Work

From the Editors of Every Day Connected

If you work remotely or travel a lot for your job, you probably take advantage of free public Wi-Fi often. Unfortunately, that probably means you’re regularly opening up your devices and your data to serious security threats. And if you’re a heavy user of cloud services, which often store your data on a remote server rather than your computer, Wi-Fi security is even more crucial.

Most people these days have password-protected networks at home, so it’s unlikely that anybody is able to snoop on your data as it passes between your device and your router. But when you’re surfing the Web via a free public Wi-Fi at a cafe, library or airport, you should be suspicious of everyone, says technology consultant Leo Notenboom of Ask-Leo.com. “It’s trivially easy for any of them to be watching your unencrypted information flying by.”

Here’s what you need to know to stay safe next time you’re surfing on a free public Wi-Fi connection.

Free Public Wi-Fi Tip No. 1: Turn on your firewall.
The cafe might use firewall software to protect your computer from outside attacks, but that doesn’t protect you from other people surfing around the same Wi-Fi network inside the cafe. Be sure your computer’s firewall is turned on.

Free Public Wi-Fi Tip No. 2: Protect your smartphone or tablet.
If your smartphone or tablet connects to Wi-Fi networks, require it to ask your permission before joining any network. A lot of people never change the default network name, so if you logged on to your friend’s “linksys” network, your device will remember that and could automatically join any network of the same name in the future -- unless you tell it to ask your permission first.

Free Public Wi-Fi Tip No. 3: Use strong encryption.
Encryption works by disguising data that your computer wirelessly sends to a router. Without it, that person sitting near you at the cafe could use special software to intercept and see all the data that travels back and forth between your device and the router. And that means everything: emails, passwords and things you search for. That’s why it’s imperative, says Notenboom, to use encrypted sites when possible.

How do you know when a site offers encryption? Instead of “http” at the beginning of the address, you’ll see “https.” You’ll also see a little padlock icon in your browser window, usually on the bottom right.

What else should you consider encrypting?

• Your email. If you use a locally installed email program such as Outlook or Entourage, you can protect your mail and passwords by using something called SSL (secure sockets layer) on each of your accounts. This encrypts all your data when you send and receive email. Not all email providers allow the use of SSL, though, so check your provider’s help page.

• Your Facebook and Twitter pages. Facebook and Twitter recently began offering encrypted sessions; just go into your account settings and find the option that says “Always use https.”

• Your Google search. If you think the keywords you’re searching could be embarrassing or you prefer to keep your privacy, try the secure version of Google search. Instead of going to Google.com, do all of your searching at Encrypted.Google.com.

• Everything. Consider a VPN service. VPN stands for virtual private network and encrypts everything you send and receive. You can download free mobile VPN software from such a site as Hotspot Shield and everything -- instant messages, passwords, emails and websites -- will be virtually impenetrable to prying eyes whenever you’re using a free public Wi-Fi connection. Or if your employer offers its own VPN, always connect to it through your computer or mobile device.

“That guy in the corner of Starbucks with his laptop -- do you trust him with your private data?” asks Notenboom. Follow these Wi-Fi safety tips, and you won’t ever have to ever wonder.


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Facebook Parenting: A Proactive Approach For Tweens

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Every Day Connected: Sponsored Blog

By Marsali Hancock for Every Day Connected

A lot of you may wonder: “Why do you have to be 13 years old to legally use Facebook? Why can’t you be 16, 18 or 12? What’s so special about that particular age?”

First of all, it’s not an age arbitrarily chosen by Facebook. According to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), websites collecting information from a general-audience population must receive guardian permission to gather data from children 12 years old and younger.

Often, websites -- Facebook included -- choose to make the legal age of usage 13 years and older to bypass the litigious headaches that parental consent incurs. But, as I’m sure you know, rules are made to be broken. And not surprisingly, countless tweens between the ages of 8 and 12 -- and at times their parents -- turn a blind eye to Facebook’s age policy.

The Parent Trap
Parents who knowingly let their preadolescent youngsters use Facebook may say: “I’ve fixed the privacy settings, my child’s OK.” It’s fantastic that those moms and dads have taken steps to protect their children online, but the service frequently changes its privacy policies. That makes it difficult to continuously adjust the settings that create a secure, highly regulated “bubble shield” around the child.

And of course there are a lot of unsuspecting parents out there whose underage children are sailing the Facebook seas without a captain, compass or lifeboat. Even if their young ones strictly stick to “harmless” social games, like FarmVille, they’re unaware of the types of relationships their children are building in forums and with friends.

Anyone who’s created a Facebook account knows that proving you are at least 13 years of age is as simple as checking a box. So you can imagine how difficult it is to find those wily tweens who are feverishly posting pictures, taking quizzes and making friends through the service. However, the website does take measures to find those young ones and remove them from the system.

Recently, Mozelle Thompson -- Facebook’s chief privacy officer -- told the Australian Federal Parliament’s cyber-safety committee that the social networking giant deletes 20,000 accounts each day for age violations. Although an impressive number, he went on to say that the tools employed to find underage users are not foolproof.

Thompson’s admission substantiates the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project results, stating that 46 percent of 12-year-olds surveyed in the U.S. use social networks. That sounds like a high percentage, but the number makes sense when you consider that children meet and connect emotionally through their digital devices. The virtual world is now and forevermore injected into daily interpersonal relationships, and nobody knows that better than our blossoming digital natives.

Doing It for the Kids
Facebook is an arena intended for the older set. Younger children are not developmentally ready to navigate the scrutiny and politics that often take place in this social space. Teens and adults prove to have a hard enough time with it, as evidenced by the daily news.

That doesn’t mean parents should wait to introduce their boys and girls to the concept of digital citizenship. Instead, they should carefully choose online environments that are specifically created with tweens in mind.

Currently, there are plenty of fun and safe social networks for children on the Web. The level of control, permission and oversight needed to play in these realms makes them more secure than the other PG-13-rated spaces. More importantly, getting your children set up on age-appropriate sites is a great way to start talking about the boons and burdens of social media.

Remember: Don’t close doors; just guide your children through the ones that lead to safe and healthy online relationships. Statistics prove they want to use social media; it only makes sense that they learn through you.

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Who’s Gawking at Your Photos?

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Every Day Connected: Socialize


By Michelle Hainer for Every Day Connected



With all of the photo-sharing apps and websites out there, it’s easier than ever to stay up-to-date on the lives of loved ones. But with the freedom and accessibility comes concern about who you want viewing your online photos: Grandma? Yes. Creepy guy from high school whose friend request you accepted out of guilt? Not so much. So before you upload your personal snapshots, keep these tips in mind.

1. Choose a safe site for your photos. Photo-sharing services like Shutterfly, KODAK Gallery, Snapfish and KeepandShare let you post your photos on a password-protected (and free!) space. Only users with the password have access to your photos.

2. Be mindful of Facebook’s privacy settings. Facebook allows users to choose who sees the photos they post. You can make them available just to your friends, or open up your albums to friends of friends too -- or even everyone (meaning, the entire Facebook network). But unless you’re comfortable having strangers view photos from your kid’s first birthday party, choose the friends-only option.

3. Back up photos to the cloud. Even if you never plan on sharing one snapshot, storing your photos on a site like PictureTrail.com or an online backup service such as Mozy is a good idea. Cloud services let you back up your photos, so if your computer or external hard drive were to crash or get stolen, your pictures would still be preserved somewhere. So if you don’t already have an account for a file-storing online service, sign up for one to preserve your memories.

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When Private Goes Public: The Role Social Networking Plays in Suicide.

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Every Day Connected: Sponsored Blog


By Marsali Hancock for Every Day Connected



“Jumping off the gw bridge sorry,” Tyler Clementi, age 18, posted on his Facebook status on September 22, 2010.

And then he did just that. A desperate act fueled by humiliation, Clementi committed suicide after his Rutgers University roommate secretly recorded a private sexual encounter between him and another male, only to then post it to YouTube.

In the Phoebe Prince case, the 15-year-old hanged herself on January 10, 2010, after enduring months of bullying from fellow students. Prince felt that killing herself was the only escape from teen tormentors who attacked her in the hallways and taunted her through texts and public online spaces, like Facebook.

We’re all familiar with tales of social networking sites (SNSs), along with other new media platforms, casting a dark shadow over events leading up to a victim’s suicide. Frequently the issues revolve around private encounters, moments and words that spread like wildfire once they’ve been introduced to the digital stage -- often without the target’s consent.

With the 21st century ingenue Cyberbullying playing the lead role in each one of those dramas, we rarely hear examples of how social networking promotes a healthy mental state and even prevents suicide in some instances.

Although the media continually make the connection, there is no conclusive evidence that cyberbullying causes suicide.

First, we do youth a disservice by perpetually drawing a straight line between the two concepts of online harassment and self-murder. Continuing to make that association falsely communicates the message that there is no alternative escape from cyberbullying other than ending one’s life, which can result in children making that fatal decision.

Second, adults need to remember that youth connect emotionally and define relationships through their digital devices and Web platforms. They acutely feel both rejection and connection via digital media.

According to a recent International Center for Media and the Public Affairs (ICMPA) study, “students around the world reported that being tethered to digital technology 24-7 is not just a habit, it is essential to the way they construct and manage their friendships and social lives.”

Finally, it’s crucial that we understand both the positive and negative sides of social media, thereby putting cyberbullying into context and appreciating its place amidst all the benefits and opportunities that arise from digital connections.

To further the point, a growing body of research from the Australia-based Co-operative Research Centre for Young People, Technology and Wellbeing (YAW-CRC) supports the idea that SNSs have a much more positive effect on relationships and mental well-being than most of us may be aware.

According to the YAW-CRC’s The Benefit of Social Networking Services report:

“There is a demonstrated positive relationship between young people’s use of social networking services and self-esteem. … It is also argued that a sense of community and belonging has the potential to promote young people’s resilience, giving them the ability to successfully adapt to change and stressful events. … Overall, it appears that the social connections developed and fostered through SNS play an important role in promoting young people’s well-being.

Although cyberbullying represents the seamier side of social networking, it’s greatly outweighed by the support systems that youth develop online.

Too frequently it’s said that friendships in virtual communities do not carry the same lasting loyalty and profound connectivity that real-world relationships hold. Statements like those diminish the value that young ones place on their online relationships and in the end miss the importance of social networking in fostering a sense of self-worth and belonging on this Earth.

Things to Remember
Marginalized children and teens need to hear from trusted sources that their lives are not over if they experience digital persecution from peers. And parents, mentors and teachers should refer to resources (e.g., the Cyberbullying Research Center) to better understand social media’s place in self-esteem development.

If you are concerned for yourself or a child who is being harassed online, intervention programs make all of the difference. For more information, please visit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) What a Difference a Friend Makes website.




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Stop Cyberbullying Now!

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Every Day Connected: Socialize

By Tara Swords for Every Day Connected


The term “cyberbully” usually applies to minors bullying other minors online. But did you know that plenty of adults too are tormented by online harassers? It can be a frightening, unnerving experience, but if it happens to you or someone close to you, you don’t have to ignore it.







Here is exactly what to do if you’ve been targeted.

Cyberbullying Tip No. 1: Learn your rights.
Many states have laws protecting you from cybercrimes. Check out the National Conference of State Legislatures  site to find out what qualifies as cyberstalking, cyberbullying and cyberharassment, and whether your state has laws that specifically address these offenses. Even if you’re not ready to report the activity to the authorities, knowing your legal rights prepares you to understand when someone crosses the line.

Cyberbullying Tip No. 2: Ask for it to stop.
Make it clear to the bully that you want the behavior to stop immediately. If your child is being bullied, help him send the message. Don’t detail your reasons, because you risk getting roped into yet another conversation with the bully. Simply demand that it end and state that you want no more contact in the future. If the contact continues, don’t respond. If necessary, change your user names and profiles in the places (e.g., instant messengers) where the harassment occurs.

Cyberbullying Tip No. 3: Keep records.
Don’t delete any of the harassing communications, no matter how offensive. Save emails, chat logs and text messages in a file on your desktop -- and back up copies to a cloud service like Google Docs. If the situation worsens and you need to alert the authorities, this evidence will be crucial in backing up your claims.

Cyberbullying Tip No. 4: Report the abuse.
Forward offensive emails to the harasser’s school and Internet service provider, and ask that they be investigated. If the cyberbullying is happening at work, notify a supervisor or your human resources representative immediately. And if the problem escalates and you feel that you or your family members are unsafe -- or that your legal rights  have been violated -- file a report with your local law enforcement.

Cyberbullying Tip No. 5: Get support.
Ask for help. Such organizations as CyberAngels  can provide detailed, one-on-one guidance in dealing with cyberbullies and remind you that you’re not alone. Other organizations, such as the National Crime Prevention Council , offer tips as well -- especially for parents and teens.


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Help Feed Your Community.

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If one of your new year's resolutions is helping other people that are less fortunate, this is your opportunity. The program is called ShopRite Cans For Fans. ShopRite is donating a can of food (up to 50,000!) for each fan of their Facebook page. All you have to do is click on the Like button and you will be helping feed your community! While you are there check out the ShopRite's Can Can Sale they have going on right now. Don't forget to spread the word, tell your friends and family. 

If that is not enough and you want to do more for your community. You can donate to the ShopRite Partners In Caring Fund or lend a hand to the food banks in your area. Visit shopritepartnersincaring.org for more information.

If you are looking to have a little fun visit ShopRite Can Can, upload your photo and see yourself dance with the can can girls! I did. Then if you are brave enough share it on Facebook, Twitter or post it on their gallery!


 This information was provided by ShopRite through MyBlogSpark. This post was written by me on behalf of MyBlogSpark.

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What the Web Says About You.

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Every Day Connected: Socialize

By Tara Swords for Every Day Connected

Although social networks like Facebook are a great way to stay connected, they offer an endless source of potential embarrassments if you don’t carefully control who can see your information. In fact, if your privacy settings are lax, anybody anywhere -- even those without a Facebook account -- can see everything on your profile page, including your birth date, phone number, email address and photos. They can even see photos of you that other people post -- photos that you might never want in the public sphere.

If you use LinkedIn, the popular professional networking site, you probably don’t post as much personal information as you would on Facebook. But you still might want to control who can see your work history and who can send you unsolicited emails asking to be introduced to one of your connections.

Here’s how to find out who can see what and where, and ensure that the wrong information -- or pictures or videos -- doesn’t fall in the wrong hands:

Facebook
Familiarize yourself with all your privacy setting options here. You can create separate friend lists -- for example, one list for family, one for friends, and another for acquaintances -- and apply different privacy settings to each. Don’t forget to also decide who can view information about you that other people post. The safest option is to make that information viewable only by you.

Some Facebook applications, such as Places, can let other people post your physical location to Facebook. (“Joe Smith has checked in at the Four Seasons.”) Facebook’s Instant Personalization service can tell other people when you share content. So when you share or “like” a news story from CNN.com, your friends who visit CNN will see that you shared it or liked it -- unless you change your privacy settings.

LinkedIn
After logging in, click on “Profile” and find the “Change public profile settings” link. Here, you can decide what non-connections can see when they visit your profile page and even view it as others see it. Don’t forget to click “Change contact settings” to set how other people can contact you.

Twitter
The default setting for accounts on Twitter is “public,” which means everything you post is public and can even turn up in Google searches. Or you can set your account to “protected,” which means only the people you approve can view your posts.
Whatever settings you choose for your social networking profiles, there’s nothing to stop one of your friends or connections from copying and pasting photos or information about you and passing it on. So keep tabs on who’s tagging you in photos, video or other content. Always use discretion when posting anything online, and never assume that online security measures are bulletproof. This is the Internet, after all, and once the cat is out of the bag, you can’t stuff it back in.

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Share Safely on Social Networks.

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Every Day Connected: Play


From the Editors of Every Day Connected


The days when social networks were just for teens are long over: Adults now take up social networking for fun and business alike. One entrepreneur, Sheilah Etheridge of Anchorage, Alaska, uses social networks to turn up business leads for her home-based accounting and consulting firm. But Etheridge is selective with what she shares and where. “Everything we post on the Web is obviously out there for all the world to see, and it’s out there for eternity,” she says.

To get the most out of your favorite social networks, it’s important to be aware of how to protect your online privacy. Here’s how to share safely:

Tip No. 1: Don’t fork over too much personal info.
You don’t always know who is viewing even tidbits of your profiles, so think twice before you post sensitive -- or potentially embarrassing -- information, videos or photos on social networks. It could fall into the hands of identity thieves, prospective employers, college recruiters or even potential mates.

“People should assume the content they put online is going to be public,” says blogger Jeremiah Owyang, a former senior analyst for Forrester Research.

Tip No. 1: Review privacy policies before you post.
Some networks, such as LinkedIn, have adopted privacy policies that vouch they’ll never share your information with other users without your consent. Other sites, like Facebook and Twitter, offer online privacy settings that allow you to control who can view certain information and who gets notification when you add friends or Web applications.

But be mindful about the details: On Facebook, for example, your profile and photo privacy settings are separate. Just because you block non-friends from seeing your profile doesn’t bar them from seeing your photos. Make sure your review all your preferences under Account > Privacy Settings.

Tip No. 2: Don’t reveal every step you take.
It’s a freaky thought, but stalkers, jealous spouses and suspicious employers can use social networks to keep an eye on your every move. Many photos and posts are time-stamped, so the date and time you post it is recorded and shared with your network of friends or connections. This means your boss may be able to find out how much time you spend on Facebook while at work.

Facebook also allows you to “Check In” where you are, revealing your geographic location. On Twitter, you can note your location in your tweets and in your profile. If you want to keep your moves and location on the down-low, avoid checking in altogether and tweak your online privacy settings.

Tip No. 4: Be smart with apps.
Most social networking sites are for-profit companies, and advertising keeps membership free. Any time you sign up for a free app or contest on a social network, your private data might be used to target you with online advertising based on your activities.

“The purpose behind social networking sites is supposed to be to enable you to connect with friends and colleagues and do these networking activities,” says John Verdi, senior counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) , a nonprofit privacy advocacy group in Washington, D.C. “What they don’t say is that ‘our real purpose is to mine your data and sell it to the highest bidder.’”

So even if you’ve read Facebook’s online privacy policy, you still need to read the privacy policies of application-makers who promote their apps on Facebook. “They are third-party applications,” says Verdi. “The social networks don’t vouch for any of them.”

Tip No. 5: Don’t expect to be able to delete it once you post it.
It’s happened to the best of us: being haunted by your old social network posts that never die. There is an assumption that you “own” your profiles. But that’s not the case.

In the past, Facebook users were not able to completely delete their profiles. Facebook claimed it wanted to store the information in case users wanted to revive their profile, but it has now caved in under pressure from users to allow for easier deleting. MySpace and LinkedIn allow users to delete their profiles too.

But when it comes to posts you leave on others’ profiles -- or content that friends copied off your profile or blog -- it can remain online for eternity. “There are going to be remnants or ghosts,” says Owyang. “Assume that everything you put online is forever.”

The single best thing you can do before you put yourself out there on a social network? “Speak to other users you know and trust before joining some sites,” says Etheridge. In other words, network a bit before you sign up for a network so you can learn more about how the site protects your info -- or doesn’t.


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4 Ways to Protect Your Kids Online.

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Every Day Connected: Play

From the Editors of Every Day Connected



Just this summer, mobile apps developer Broken Thumbs Apps was found guilty of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The company had illegally collected -- without prior parental consent -- and disclosed personal information of tens of thousands of children age 13 and younger.

This isn't an isolated case. With 93 percent of youth online, according to the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, parents are right to be concerned about their kids’ online privacy. If you’re one of them, here’s what you can do:

1. Get educated and start monitoring.
The facts: Ten percent of online users are children (2 to 11 years), according to Nielsen. But only 32 percent of parents monitor their kids’ online activities, says a SocialShield and comScore study.

What to do: Stay clued in to the latest Facebook privacy setting options to limit your kids’ risk of being tracked down by a perpetrator. (It takes just a few data points, like a name, school or parent’s job to physically locate someone.) Check with your state about its online and privacy programs that help teach adults and kids. Or go to Common Sense Media, which offers online privacy and safety tip sheets (for parents of elementary school, middle school and high school students), along with primers on social networking, gaming and family media management.

Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission has a comprehensive guide to online life, Living Life Online.” It covers privacy issues, sexting and how to share online.

On the mobile front, services like Code9 Mobile allow parents to monitor their kids’ mobile activity by setting curfews for the phone to disable (letting only preapproved callers get through) and by accessing an online report of their kids’ mobile usage, including red flags for privacy violations, like one-sided messages and unknown contacts.

2. School your kids.
The facts: In the past year, 5 million U.S. households have been exposed to some type of abuse thanks to Facebook use, from identity theft to bullying.

What to do: Just because your child needs to be 13 to open a Facebook account doesn’t mean their online privacy education can’t start any earlier. Educate your kids with games like the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s “Stop That Post” and “Tad’s Profile Panic.” Aimed at tweens 8 to 12 years old, these games teach kids what information to keep private. Also check out additional games, tools and resources for teens, children, parents and educators.

3. Help manage your kids’ privacy settings.
The facts: An estimated 7.5 million children younger than 13 have illegally opened Facebook accounts, many of which are unsupervised.

What to do: Help your kids set up their Facebook account. About 1 in 5 adult Facebook users say they don’t utilize the network’s privacy controls, according to Consumer Reports. But staying up-to-date with the latest privacy changes is key, as it can prevent your kid from falling prey to identity theft, sex offenders or plain bad judgment when it comes to oversharing.

To start, make sure you and your teen don’t post full birthdays; omit the years you were born to help prevent identity theft. Have your teen “friend” you so you can see what she is posting, and opt out of Instant Personalization, which allows sites to link to your account and share its info with all your friends. To keep up on the latest best practices for managing Facebook privacy settings, search “Manage Facebook settings” and “Privacy.”

4. Reach out to lawmakers.
The facts: An investigation conducted by The Wall Street Journal found that the top 50 children’s websites install 30 percent more tracking technologies than do the top 50 sites for adults.

What to do: Congressmen Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts and Joe Barton of Texas are working to pass the Do Not Track Kids Act of 2011, which would update COPPA to include technologies, like mobile apps, that didn’t exist when the 1998 bill was signed into law. It would also establish new protection in the collection, use, disclosure and storage of kids’ personal information. For example, it includes creating an “Eraser Button” for parents and children, which would require companies to permit users to eliminate publicly available personal information when “technologically feasible.”




Learn more about the bill at DoNotTrackKids.org . And if you support it, write to your local policymakers and tell them how you’d like your child’s privacy protected online.

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