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July 13, 2016

Cyber-security answers Around Town

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The St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force has partnered with the Community News to help keep families safe online

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By Brett Auten Internet safety and security are issues that parents and grandparents a generation ago didn’t have to worry about. But just as the Internet has put the world at our fingertips, it has also brought along potential dangers for children and their families. This is why the experts from the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force, an arm of the St. Charles County Police Department, have partnered with the Community News to answer your questions about cyber safety for you and your family. These questions were submitted by readers like you. How do we get kids to identify messages that are inappropriate? (Tony, St. Peters) For children, identifying inappropriate messages can be a challenge; therefore, it is imperative to maintain an open dialogue with youths about their online conversations. Direct your child to avoid giving anyone their personal information online and tell them not to engage in conversations that are sexual in nature. As a general rule, parents should have their children notify them immediately upon discovering any material that makes them feel uncomfortable.

What’s a good/safe internet server for kids? (Steve, St. Charles) Rather than focusing on a specific server, guardians should have their children use kid friendly search engines such as “kiddle” or “kidtopia.” Most of these engines will provide responses that are handpicked by educators to ensure content is appropriate for children. No search engine is perfect; however, so it is a good idea to verify that your browser has its search settings on “safe search” mode. If you are aware the person your friend is talking to is an online predator, where/how would you report it? (Jeanette, Fenton) Contact your local law enforcement agency or contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s Cyber Tipline at 1-800-843-5678 to report an online predator. How much information can someone get from my Facebook account--even if I don’t “friend” them? (Anna, St. Charles County) Social media is always changing, but as of now, Facebook will display all of your public information to everyone. This will include your name, cover photo, profile picture, user ID, gender, username, time-

line, and networks. You can change how much information is displayed by changing your privacy settings. How will I know if my kid is talking to a predator or a real friend? (Riley, St. Louis) Parents should consider only allowing their children to communicate with individuals they know from outside of cyberspace. This entails forbidding friendships and conversations that are formed exclusively online. Guardians should take the additional step of asking their children where they know an individual from, and request the phone number and address of the person to verify the child knows them from the real world. What can we do to protect ourselves from child predators? (Ashley, Dardenne Prairie) Talk to your child about the potential dangers associated with sexual predators and explain the grooming process used to lure victims. Restrict which devices are allowed to connect to the internet and only allow children to use those devices in a family room. Monitor the sites and communications of your child and install parental control software as an added layer of protection. See CYBER on page 2

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