An instructional website on Internet literacy for teachers

E-mail: the Pitfalls How it Works || Parts of E-mail || Pitfalls || Fun Stuff *:o) Confidentiality Your privacy is always the first thing you should worry about. Never assume that your messages will not be read by people other than the intended recipient, so be discreet. Copies of your messages dwell in your computer server (ISP) or may be intercepted as it passes many routers and networks during transmission. For e-mail you send and receive in your office, your employer has rights and access to all your files as well, bypassing your password controls, since they own the resources. Those who receive your mail may also forward it to others without your knowledge or permission. Bottomline, heed Arlene Rinaldi's Netiquette tip: "don't write anything that you don't want to appear in the evening news." Password Security Be careful with your passwords. Although we prefer to use passwords that are easy to remember you shouldn't come up with anything that can be easily identified with you like  children's names, mother's maiden name, address, phone number, birth date, etc. Since computer programs may also be used to decode password, don't pick a word from the dictionary. Experts recommend a good password has six to eight characters with numbers, for example, dcodis77 or liz2000. It may not be hacker-proof but you can at least minimize your risks. Privacy Unless you don't mind receiving junk mail, don't give away your e-mail address, social security number, and other personal information freely. At worse, somebody could assume your identity, send damaging e-mail that appear to come from you, or commit a felony and crime. Be wary when you fill out a form in a commercial website. Information like this are sold to mass mailers (a.k.a. spammers). In addition to ads, this is one of the things that drive free sites. Think twice before signing up for free cruises, software, subscriptions, and online lotteries. Look for the logo of TRUSTe or a similar watchdog organization that sets standards and monitors websites. Check the privacy statements of the site how they are going to use information gathered from you. Responsible sites will advise you if they are going to share that data with other companies. Others give you check boxes for options if you want to receive announcements and the like from them and their sponsors. It's your call.  Children's E-mail Children need extra protection with their e-mail accounts. To hide their identities it is prudent to refrain from using their last names. For example, it is better to have johnd@mail.com than jdoe@mail.com. You also don't want their address, phone number, and other revealing information to appear anywhere in their account. Explain to the child why these precautions are important to her safety. Don't rely on U.S. laws that require websites to obtain proof of age and formal consent of parents or guardians to collect information from minors. Not all sites are subject to such laws. Most are also reluctant to impose this requirement since the hassle will discourage surfers and reduce traffic to their sites. Neither will it deter minors from lying about their age if they want to register with that site. Some parents share the same e-mail accounts with their children as a way of monitoring who they are corresponding with. Or they check the child's e-mail address book. Others are uncomfortable about prying and snooping this way, worried that it violates the child's privacy. In the interest of safety and security, schools though have the prerogative to inspect computer files in the same way the law allows them to check students' lockers. The best recourse for parents is the classic, "know who your children's friends are." Educators can help by constantly reminding children to never talk to strangers, even in the Internet, and above all, never meet someone they met thru the Internet without an adult escort.  Recommended reading:  Playing it Safe on the Web: Consumer Do's and Donts. Common sense rules and take-charge tips for safeguarding your privacy online from privacy Partnership and TRUSTe.
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