s who use file-sharing software or download "free" software regularly. You want to reduce the risk of infection and intrusion.
Protect Your Kids
Keep the children's computer in the room that is most often occupied by family members with the monitor facing everyone. This helps to discourage "secret" conversations and friendships that child predators so desperately seek. This also helps adults to see where children are online, what they are doing and with whom they are communicating.
Spend time as a family talking about experiences in your daily and online lives - where you went, with whom, what you did. Protect your children online as you do everyday.
Don't Give Out Personal Information
Don't post your personal information at websites, guestbooks, forums, social networking communities, family homepages with or without biographical information, newsgroups, chatroom profiles, text messaging profiles, or in email. Your personal information includes your legal name, last name, address, phone, marital status, occupation, financial/banking/credit/insurance card information, social security numbers, passwords, logon information and other usernames.
When entering financial, banking, or credit card information online while banking or shopping, be sure the website is where you want to be and the website is secure. Look for https in the webpage address or an icon of an unbroken key or lock that is closed, glowing or golden usually at the bottom of the browser window. You can double-click the lock to display the website's certificate. Be sure this certificate matches the website you believe you are visiting. If it does not, don't enter your information. Know that some reputable websites - including stores and banks - use third-party vendor websites for financial transactions online.
Check Your Energy Consumption
To be environmentally friendly as we are everyday through recycling and reducing everyday consumption of energy resources, each business and individual can contribute using resources available online. As a business, before purchasing new computers and monitors, check the EPEAT registry at http://www.epeat.net for energy consumption levels and other environmental indicators. This is similar to checking the energy usage for home appliances before buying. The EPEAT uses the IEEE 1680 standard, the first US standard of environmental guidelines, for desktops, laptops and monitors.
As individuals before buying, check energy usage with the Energy Star 4.0 ratings at the Environmental Protection Agency http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/plugin. When you are recycling or discarding your old computers, visit the E-cycling Central website http://www.eiae.org by the Electronic Industries Alliance. Remember also to do one of two things: either use a product such as cyberCide http://www.cyberscrub.com so your personal information is not found somewhere on the hard drive in case your computer isn't immediately destroyed or remove the hard drive and physically hammer it so the hard drive is irreversibly unusable.
Be Aware of Fraud
Seniors as a group are targeted for fraud more than any other group. Predators target minors as a group more than any other group. Both seniors and minors typically have a trusting nature that can be manipulated by criminals.
Be aware of offers or information you receive online in chatrooms, forums, newsgroups, websites or email that could result in someone you have not met in person to visit your home or office. Be aware of someone online asking you to attend a meeting or gathering. Also be aware of supposedly a company or someone requiring your immediate online response with details of your financial, banking, credit or social security information. These are most likely scams.
Prevent Computer Infections
Be aware of infections circulating in your community (such as the flu), in your email, phone, text messaging programs, chatrooms and on the internet. Use preventative measures to avoid infection by using anti-virus and anti-spyware software. This will help maintain your privacy and safety.
Some infectors on