Online Safety and Privacy Understanding online privacy and

Online Safety and Privacy Understanding online privacy and how your information is shared

Basic Safety • Where possible keep your online profiles, messages, mail and activity private. • All networks have privacy controls that allow you to adjust who see’s your information. • Only share your information, photos and comments with people you know and trust • Do not do anything online you wouldn’t do offline.

Communications • Ensure you know who you are communicating with and that you know that they are who they say they are. • Do not arrange to meet anyone without reasonably verifying who they are or meeting them in a group first. • Know the difference between public and private comments and discussions.

Digital Housekeeping • Clear old messages and emails. • Remove people you are no longer friends with. • Shut down old accounts for sites you no longer use……Bebo and myspace anyone? • Stay up to date with changes in updates to software, privacy, websites (read the small print). • Remove all personal information that may not reflect who you are?

The Law and your rights • You have a right to use the internet free from harassment and exploitation. • Harassment and abuse is as illegal online as it is in the everyday world. • Racism and other forms of abuse are illegal. • Laws apply to the internet also include online gaming, mobile phone use and social networking. • You only have a right to privacy if you make your online information private – If you don’t it is PUBLIC information and will be treated as such.

School and Work • In recent years many people have had their work impacted by their online “history” or “footprint”. • Employers often look up applicant on google, Facebook and twitter to see if there is any reason not to employ them. • Staff and students have faced disciplinary action following inappropriate behaviour online. • Think about what others can see? • Who do you want to know what about you?

Changes • Since the London riots and a number of high profile cases involving abuse to and from well known celebrities there has been a crack down online comments that have been deemed offensive. • To make this point people have been jailed by courts for inciting online hatred as well as homophobic and racist abuse.

Good practice • Understand the format – How does the website, program you are using work? If you don’t under stand it, don’t use it. • Do not post anything publically online that you wouldn’t want others seeing. • Be aware that the internet footprint you leave now will hang around for years. • Report abuse, all websites have a process for doing this – use it if you feel that others are behaving inappropriately. • Remain safe at all times and do not threaten the safety of others. Behave as you would be expected to “offline”.