Friday, October 3, 2008

Security Procedures for Social Networks

Internet opens up a world of possibilities for us and our children. It's a great place to learn, play, share and grow. However there are people who could represent a potential threat to us and our communities.
That’s why security must be a priority.
We need to know how to protect our family from cyber attacks and be prepared to do it. Education and communication are our first defense against online offender.

There are dozens of security manuals on line which could be suitable to give us basic knowledge about how face up correctly these issues.

From the service provider side (social networks, web sites, on line service environments, etc.) you would like to be protected through a range of security tools, like:
last generation hi tech filters to filter communications through the site. The filters are usually used to provide electronic shields against offenders and wrongdoers. We can call it "Passive Security".
Service provider staff to monitor activities, contents and chat, receive and analyze reports of misconduct and provide personalized player support. This aspect of security can be called "Active".
Both active and passive security are extremely important because the combination of the electronic and human factor is the winning formula in order to reduce the cyberattacks.


How to improve our security on line then?
Promoting security awareness through parents to review the safety precautions with their children. Security can be largely improved with family cooperation. Internet is a great communication tool but potentially unsafe too if not correctly handled. I encourage indeed parents to review the following safety measures with their children:
Never give out personal information, such as your real name, age, location, phone number or school.
Never share your password with anyone except your parents. Someone else might use your password and pretend to be you, give out your personal information or do something that may get you into trouble.
Tell your parents if someone says or does something on the Internet that makes you uncomfortable, or if someone asks you for personal information.
Choose a user name that does not reflect your real identity. Avoid names that are in any way suggestive, even if they seem innocent to you.
Avoid chat rooms that are not monitored by moderators.

These suggestions come from years of experience and good practice. I am trying to refine the security procedures for social network and I have been hired recently to do that. My desire is sharing these recommendations in order to have a cleaner and safer Internet!

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