Cyber Security Awareness Month: Teens Learning Faster than Adults About Online Safety

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We wanted to share a link to the findings from a study by MTV and the AP which reveals that teens are learning faster than adults about online safety.  While this is good news, the study also reveals that many young people are engaging in "sexting" or have experienced digital abuse including some form of harrasment from a  partner.  We encourage parents to learn how to protect their children while they are on-line and to talk with their children about the potential drawbacks of having an online presence. 

Be safe and cyber secure!

See also:

• National Cyber Security Awareness Month website
• A THIN LINE, MTV's sexting, cyberbullying, digital dating abuse campaign
• What is cyberbullying?
• Parents, do you know what "aos" and "w2m" mean?
• Your smartphone is not immune to viruses and other malware!

More on temporary credit card numbers for safe online shopping

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During the last holiday season, we blogged about tips for safe online shopping and suggested the use of temporary or virtual credit card numbers to avoid fraud and/or repeat billing for products and services purchased online.  Here's more on virtual credit card numbers from Lifehacker.  Be sure to find out if the bank that issued your debit or credit card offers this service.

Safe shopping!

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

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According to Wikipedia, The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is defined as follows:

The act, effective April 21, 2000, applies to the online collection of personal information by persons or entities under U.S. jurisdiction from children under 13 years of age. It details what a website operator must include in a privacy policy, when and how to seek verifiable consent from a parent or guardian, and what responsibilities an operator has to protect children's privacy and safety online including restrictions on the marketing to those under 13. While children under 13 can legally give out personal information with their parents' permission, many websites altogether disallow underage children from using their services due to the amount of paperwork involved.

To learn how this federal law might affect your website, please visit the Federal Trade Commission's website at:  http://business.ftc.gov/privacy-and-security/children%E2%80%99s-online-privacy

Tips on safe online shopping

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Many of you may be looking to buy some last minute holiday gifts (or even pick up a little something for yourself) so we want to take the time to share some more tips for safe online shopping:

• Use Temporary Credit Card Numbers to Avoid Repeat Billing
• McAfee's Do's and Don'ts of Online Shopping (downloadable PDF)
• Online Shopping Tips from the National Retail Federation

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month

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National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) "conducted every October since 2004, is a national public awareness campaign to encourage everyone to protect their computers and our nation’s critical cyber infrastructure.
Cyber security requires vigilance 365 days per year. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), the primary drivers of NCSAM, coordinate to shed a brighter light in October on what home users, schools, businesses and governments need to do in order to protect their computers, children, and data." *
Here are some resources to help you, your family and your business stay safe online:

• National Cyber Safety Alliance - Cybersecurity on the go: make it a habit | Stay Safe Online
• Dept of Homeland Security | Cybersecurity Family & Business Resources
• Google's Family Safety Center
• Official Google Blog: National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2010: Stop. Think. Connect.
• Help keep your account safe with the Gmail security checklist | Official Gmail Blog
• NMC's Blog: Protect your children while they are on-line
• NMC's Blog | What is cyberbullying?
• NMC's Blog | How to remove personal information from your hard drive

* Source: StaySafeOnline.org/

This week's tech tips and news from New Millennium Computers

Tweet New Millennium Computers is always happy to share each week the latest tech tips and news of things happening in technology here is this weeks tech tips and news.

TECH TIPS

'Here you Have' Virus Tries to Delete Your Security Software

View up to three clocks on your Windows 7 desktop

How to reopen a browser tab that you just accidentally closed


TECH NEWS

Attention football fans!: Yahoo makes its fantasy football more social

Android Notifier Sends Notifications from Your Phone to Your Desktop

“We're downloading more apps than songs”

Who's That Texting Your Kids in Class 66% of the Time? Parents

Google Instant

Learn more about Google Instant in this CNET video

Google Instant Changes Game for Brands

Feross Aboukhadijeh from Standford University is applying the Google Instant model to YouTube videos

Privacy & Online Safety

Google launches Family Safety Center

Gang Uses Facebook to Rob Houses

Microsoft Releases Free Cyber-Security Ebook

Microsoft upgrades free app security tool

Textbooks are going digital

Replacing a Pile of Textbooks With an iPad

Ask Engadget: Best e-reader for school use / PDF viewing?

Here’s one suggestion: Dual-Screen Tablet Kno: A Digital Textbook Powered by $46 Million