Online Safety Resource
We deliver reasons and resources to help keep your family safe online.

The good news is that MySpace has reached an agreement with over 45 states to help protect kids from Internet Predators that lurk on the popular social networking site.  One of the enhancements made to the site is the ability for parents to list the email addresses of their kids and prevent them from making profiles.  Our worry is knowing how easy it is to set up multiple email addresses using GMail or MSN the kids will just use a different email address to make their profile(s).   Nevertheless, it is still a step in the right direction. Kudos to MySpace for the attempt. 

Another measure taken is to mark all underage profiles as private so their can be no unwanted contact from Internet Predators.   The irony is that most teenagers seem to make their profile private anyway.  There is no sense making the profiles private if they willingly allow unknown users into their Space.  MySpace has made several enhancements in their attempt to protect the children including:

• Allow parents to submit children's e-mail addresses to MySpace to prevent anyone from misusing the addresses to set up profiles.
• Make the default setting "private" for 16- and 17-year-old users.
• Respond within 72 hours to complaints about inappropriate content and devote more staff and resources to classify photographs and discussion groups.
• Strengthen software to find underage users.
• Create a high school section for users under 18 years old.

These changes are constructive steps that should help to avoid some of the countless thousands of juvenile MySpace users.  We are still skeptical about the savvy teens that have the means to find ways around the regulations.

On the same day that MySpace and the attorneys general for over 45 states announced the agreement to help stop Internet predators from going after your children, we found this story; "Another MySpace Predator Caught Going After Children ".  Our belief is that this will continue to happen without firm vigilance from parents to find out what their kids are doing while they are on the Internet. 

This particular Internet Predator met two girls, aged 12 and 14, through MySpace, met up with them, and sexually abused them.  He is 37-years-old.  Thankfully, one of the girls confided in her parents and he was arrested when he tried to re-contact the girls.  The damage was already done.   

...More Bad News... 

There are other social networking sites like MySpace that children can meet Internet Predators.  In this story from TheDenverChannel.com " Custodian Allegedly Assaults Girl He Met In Chat Room " the chat room was a site called Mocospace.com.  The custodian was arrested for having sexual contact with a 12-year-old girl.  Apparently they had chatted several times before h drove to the girls house and sexually assaulted her on two separate occasions. 

A quote from District Attorney Scott Storey: "We have to remain diligent in trying to keep up with what kids are doing on the Internet as well as with trends online".  Keeping the Kids Safe

Keeping the Kids Safe

The above quote from the District Attorney says it all.  Keep the Kids Safe!

Online Safety Tips

• Get to know MySpace and other social networking sites.  Familiarize yourself with the sites and use the parental controls that they offer. 
• You are not invading your child's privacy if strangers can see it. There is a difference between reading a diary tucked away in a sock drawer and checking MySpace.
• A reminder to self: "I'm still the parent!" If kids don't listen or follow rules, take the computer keyboard or power cord with you to work. The walk to the library will do them good.

Online Safety Resource recommended Computer Monitoring Program - Spector and Spector Pro

Spector and Spector Pro - Combine seven recording tools with Internet access blocking and intelligent and instant alert notification when content you specify is encountered and you have one of the most powerful Internet monitoring and surveillance software you can buy anywhere. Keep your kids safe from internet Predators with Spector.

Safety in Numbers
Brought to you through a combined effort of:
Online Safety Site
PC’s n Dreams.com
Internet Predator News Watch

Talk to you in a couple weeks!

Keep the kids safe!

Randy and Nathaniel

The Online Safety Resource Newsletter is totally an Opt-in – Opt-out Newsletter. You can subscribe or unsubscribe at any time. We would be sorry to see you go but not everything is for everybody.

We hate spam as much as you do so we would never give away or sell your email address.

About the News Stories: We tell where the story was found but we do not post links to the stories because of the nature of news sites. The news web sites tend to remove the stories after a short time, so it would be quite possible that we would send out a newsletter with dead links. If you want to read the whole story, try a search on the headline.

Copyright 2007 – This newsletter can be forwarded in its entirety. In fact, forwarding is encouraged because we encourage online safety. It is not to be copied, distributed or posted in any way shape or form.

Sign up for the Online Safety Resource Newsletter