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Internet Security Privacy The best way to prevent anyone from getting or using private information about you is to be cautious about who you give information to. The Internet is a public entity, and you should be aware that anyone you give information to may share it with others. Giving out your name, telephone number, and address on the World Wide Web is just like having it available in the phone book. In fact, if you are listed in the phone book, chances are good that you're listed online too. Visit www.whitepages.com to check. When you visit a Web site, your IP address (the temporary Internet address assigned by your ISP when you dial up) can be identified, but there is NO way of obtaining your name, e-mail address, street address, telephone number, or any other personal information about you. Shopping Purchasing something online is just like purchasing something over the telephone. There are two main concerns: Is the company I am purchasing something from legitimate? Will someone intercept and steal my credit card information? We give our credit card numbers to people everyday, for instance, cashiers and food-servers. Each time we do that we run a slight risk that our credit card number may be "hijacked." It is actually less likely that this will happen on the Internet because of secure encryption programs running on most online shopping sites. However, NEVER e-mail your credit card information to anyone. So, only purchase from companies you know are legitimate and check to make sure they are encrypting their transactions. Most shopping sites post security information for consumers. Password Security A good password is composed of: Numbers, letters and special characters such as %,#,&, and ^ Upper- and lowercase letters Nonsense words that have no meaning, but are easy to pronounce and remember Totals six or more characters Password tips: Never give your password out to anyone If you do give it to someone, change it immediately Choose a password that you can remember, don't write it down Avoid letting others see you enter your password Viruses Viruses are malicious programs that can cause a variety of problems on your computer system. We recommend running virus software and keeping it updated. Fortunately, just visiting a Web site will not put you in danger of getting a virus. However, you should scan any files that you download from Web sites with virus software before opening them. If you want to be extra cautious, download them onto a floppy or zip disk and scan them on that. You can't get a virus from simply reading an e-mail. However, e-mail attachments (also known as enclosures) should be scanned for viruses — or simply not opened. If you receive an attachment from someone you don't know — don't open it, delete it. If you don't open an infected attachment, it can't do any harm. However, even if the e-mail is from someone you do know — scan it with updated virus software. Recent viruses are very sophisticated, going directly into the user's address book and sending themselves to several people. This makes it appear that the file has been sent from someone you know. Child Safety No program is a substitute for parental observation and guidance, but there are many Internet filtering programs available that will block objectionable material. Below you'll find links to a couple of the more popular programs: http://www.netnanny.com/ http://www1.surfwatch.com/ Also, be sure to read Sparky's CyberSafety Tips on psnw.com's KIDSPACE. Take Sparky's CyberSafety Quiz afterwards. -back to top- Home - About psnw.com - Reseller Program - jobs@psnw.com Technical Support - Customer Service - Home Services - Business Services Terms of Service - Privacy Policy - Contact Us - Refer & Earn - Site Map [ Privacy Policy ] Members of psnw.com, agree to abide by our Terms of Service. © 2006 ProtoSource Network. 11386