Recently I have been reflecting on how approaches to Internet safety have changed since I was a child in the 90s and early 00s. Back then, it was all Neopets and games on the Disney channel website. In later years (the mid 2000s), my classmates all flocked to personal blogging websites like MySpace, and all our communication took place on MSN. All the while our parents watched, probably a bit concerned and probably slightly unaware of just how much of ourselves we shared online with classmates and complete strangers alike. While we played it pretty fast and loose with online privacy, our parents’ anxieties about our Internet presence came through in the advice they gave us to safely navigate the Internet.
In reflecting on how my own relationship from the Internet has changed between childhood and now, I began to think back on that advice. I wondered what kind of advice parents today are giving their children, and what advice parents will be giving their children in another 26 years. Does the old adage hold true, that the more things change the more they stay the same? Are our fears about the Internet still fundamentally the same as they once were, or have they evolved? What will they look like in the future?
And so, there I was, thinking back on that old advice, imagining the advice of the future, and asking myself: does the advice my parents gave me about the Internet still apply?
Don’t talk to strangers
At this point, not talking to strangers online is basically impossible. Even if you aren’t engaged in Twitter threads, following anybody you don’t know on Instagram, participating in Reddit threads, or participating in groups on Facebook, interacting with unknown people is common. It’s even typical for strangers to email us at our workplaces.
It isn’t that talking to strangers online is bad, it’s that you can’t be sure with whom you’re speaking. Just be careful not to overshare with anybody with whom you haven’t established a trustworthy relationship.
Want to learn more? Check out this Digital Tattoo resource on oversharing.
Don’t use your real name
Once again, using your real name online is pretty impossible to avoid. From Facebook asking for name verification to having your name published on your employer’s website, your name is everywhere. There is definitely risk in this—the more information about you there is online, the more vulnerable you are to hacking, stalking, and rogue data mining.
You can minimize the instances of your name appearing online by not using your full name on Twitter, Reddit, and other sites where it isn’t strictly necessary. While all these accounts can still be linked back to you using an IP tracker, most people won’t make the effort to do that, and you’ll maintain surface-level anonymity.
Want to learn more? Check out this Digital Tattoo resource on managing your online profile.
Don’t use chat rooms
This one is very avoidable—there are very few reasons why someone would need to use a chat room. Still, for lots of people these platforms are great ways to build communities, get advice, and—let’s face it—share memes.
Just be careful when using chat rooms and platforms like Quora or Reddit. Use a fake name, don’t give away details about your location or schedule, and try not to expose any identifying information. Proceed with caution.
Want to learn more? Check out this Digital Tattoo resource on community discussion boards.
Don’t click links in your emails
Once again, this one still contains a grain of truth. While sending links in an email is pretty common in legitimate circumstances these days, it’s still a tried-and-true favourite for individuals with more nefarious goals.
Before clicking any links in an email, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you know the sender?
- If you don’t, does their email address look legitimate? Is it a series of random letters tacked on to a free email service, or is it a real name associated with a corporate or institutional email address? Remember that the name associated with an email address may be something like “Apple Security” even if the email address used is not affiliated with Apple.
- Does the content of the email look legitimate? Does the graphic design used look professional and polished, or slapped together? Does the messaging seem off (erratic capitalization, unusually poor grammar for the sender, unclear or vague reasoning for why you should click the link)?
- Does it feel right? At the end of the day, you have a basic idea of who emails you and why. If an email pops up which seems out of place, double check before you click anything involved. Go with your gut.
Want to learn more? Check out this Digital Tattoo resource on pharming.
What other rules did your parents give you for interacting with the Internet when you were young? Have they held up to the test of time? Let us know in the comments!
Written by Samantha Summers
Edited by Defne Inceoglu
Featured image Cyber attack abstract
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