The Business of Broadband

National Internet Safety Month is coming up in June. Are your customers prepared to protect themselves – and their children – online?

About National Internet Safety Month
In 2005 the U.S. Senate passed a resolution declaring June as National Internet Safety Month. The resolution was intended to increase awareness of the need for online safety, especially among children and teens.

So how can ISPs educate their customers about online safety?

There are several ways that service providers can make their customers, and the general public, more aware of online safety techniques. You can:

• Send a series of emails to your customers throughout the month of June offering safety tips
• Write an article on Internet safety for your customer newsletter
• Write a series of educational articles for your local newspaper
• Give an Internet safety presentation at meetings of neighborhood groups or school associations

What information should you share?

There are four main topics that Internet users should be aware of: how to protect your computer, how to protect your children, how to protect your privacy, and how to protect your identity.

Protect Your Computer
Protecting your computer from spam, viruses and malware is a basic step in staying safe online. Internet users can install security suites such as Trend Micro, AVG, Symantec and McAfee that will scan for infections, adware and other malicious software, as well as alert the user to other threats as they surf the Internet.

Protect Your Children
Children are increasingly tech savvy, but they still need guidance about talking to strangers online, what is and is not appropriate online behavior, and how to handle cyberbullying. GetNetWise.org offers a number of practical tips and information about safe sites for kids, monitoring a child’s Internet use and helping children protect their privacy online.

Protect Your Privacy
You should assume that anything you post online could become public. Use caution when posting in forums, completing web forms and participating in social networks.

Protect Your Identity
Don’t reveal personal information, such as your home address or full birthdate, online or in your profiles for online services. You should also make your passwords for online services and financial records as secure and hard-to-guess as possible.

Resources
Following are some additional resources that you and your customers can use to learn about Internet Safety.

• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: Developed the NetSmartz program for classroom and online training for children and teens, as well as resources for parents, educators and law enforcement.
• OnGuardOnlline.gov: Provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.
• National Criminal Justice Reference Service: Publishes reports and information on Internet Safety for Children, Cyberbullying and Cyberstalking, Identity Theft, and Internet Privacy.
• i-Safe, Inc.: Incorporates classroom curriculum with dynamic community outreach to empower students, teachers, parents, law enforcement, and concerned adults to make the Internet a safer place.

Note: ZCorum Affiliates will find additional information and pre-configured presentations by logging into the Exclusive Affiliate Center.