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Online Predators and
Social
Networking Websites Online predators operate by
gaining your trust, gathering your personal information, and then using
your
personal information to come in contact with and hurt you. One of the
easiest
things you can do to avoid making your personal information available
to
predators is to avoid online networking websites such as MySpace and
Facebook.
MySpace, for example, is one
of the hottest websites on the Internet. Millions of children,
teenagers, and
adults gather on the same networking site to meet new people and
express them
selves through online communication. MySpace will allow you to set up a
personal profile and has no limitations as to the amount of personal
information the user is allowed to add to the page, including age,
location,
and photographical data. Some people use MySpace to communicate through
profiles, while others utilize the message board and instant message
programs
MySpace provides. Some users are looking for friends and love
interests, while
others are simply looking for an opportunity to take advantage of an
unsuspecting victim.
Online predators, especially
those who have not been convicted of a criminal offense, are finding it
easier
and easier to locate and communicate with potential victims through
social
networking sites. We tend to believe that people with similar interests
are
safe to communicate with, but we also forget that not everyone on the
Internet
is as truthful as we wish they might be. Online predators do not need
to gather
an overwhelming amount of information in order to make contact with a
victim.
The amount of information we share, thinking it is safe, is unreal.
Look at the profile of any
child or teenager on MySpace. Most list their dates of birth along with
the
cities and states they are located in.
Further down the page, those same children
will most likely list the
full name of their school along with the city and state within which it
is
located. Because almost all profiles include pictures, your local
predator has
just been virtually handed all of the information he or she needs in
order to
locate your child. Predators
don’t need
names, addresses, or phone numbers – they need clues that make your
child
identifiable and easy to pick out of a crowd. Social networking sites
are the
perfect place to gather information and piece together clues; and every
single
time your profile or your child’s profile is viewed, your chances of
becoming a
victim are increased exponentially.
Most social networking sites
have monitors to check profiles and regulate the use of message boards,
but
these people are only human and can’t be everywhere at all times. If
you can’t
avoid having a profile on a social networking site, take steps to limit
your
own visibility by marking your profile as “private.” Marking a profile
as
private will allow you to grant access only to friends and family you
invite. It’s important to take responsibility for your own safety while online. While it’s difficult to determine whom you can trust on the Internet, it’s important to remember that predators will do their best to gain your trust before turning against you. You can minimize your own exposure by limiting your contact with strangers on the Internet by eliminating the use of social networking websites. Your time spent on the Internet will be much safer. If you
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