The new social network or the Internet can be a real danger, according to IT experts.  Cyberbullying, sexting ( messages with  high sexual connotations and vulgar words)  and privacy violation are among the dangers to which children and young adults are exposed.

IT experts recommend the use of safety measures and offer tips to avoid getting into the pitfalls created by the unsafe use of IT.  Some two hundred ICT primary teachers around the island attended, at the MGI on February 9, a half day workshop on Social Networking Principles, organised by the National Computer Board in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Human Resources and IT Security Unit from the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, in the context of the Safer Internet Day, an annual international event.

Safer Internet Day, had for theme this year “Think before you post.” The workshop, which aimed at raising awareness about the safe and responsible use of new technologies, especially among children and young people, also dealt with the impact of the threats and consequences that improper use of Internet and Social Networking sites may have on the youth. 

Asraf Dulull, Minister of Information and Communication Technology, opened the workshop and launched brochures on Social Networking and Cyberbullying on the same day.

“'Think before you post' is an important topic for the young people and children as it applies to both their use of the Internet and mobile phones and the risks are both personal and can have an impact on others as well,” said  Kavita Purmessur, Assistant Manager, E-Government Unit, Ministry of Education, Culture and Human Resources.
Kavita talked on “Safeguarding Children in the Digital Age: Security Measures for Schools.”  Kaleem Usmani, Information Security Consultant at the National Computer Board talked about the ‘Risk of Posting Information on the Internet’ while  B. Mehta, Project Manager at the IT Security Unit from the Ministry of Information and Com­munication Technology presented the topic of Safe Internet Surfing.

According to Kavita,there is a dire need to sensitise children and young people to the dangers of the Internet as they are more prone to misuse IT and to be its victim as well. This is why the workshop targeted ICT teachers so that they are armed with adequate tools to better supervise pupils at school and warn them that the greatest dangers of the Internet are not computer viruses but the release of confidential information about their private lives to unknown people on the net.

A simple technique of stopping to think about the consequences before sending or posting anything online may help to reduce the negative experiences, like harassment, child-pornography, and privacy violation online.

According to Usmani, posting photos and information about oneself online can lead to serious problems such as cyberbullying, which is online repeated harassment of any kind, and blackmailing which results in depression and monetary damage. Hence it is better to never publish personal data such as your real name, address, mobile number, name of your school or information concerning friends and family online.
“One can easily protect one’s privacy by never publishing online. 

When chatting, use a nickname, and avoid getting personal, if you don’t actually know the person you are chatting with. Also ensure that you don’t inadvertently give away any information that could help anyone locate or identify you anywhere, especially if your photos are online, for example, don’t give out your real hobbies and places where you usually hang on.

When visiting websites where personal information is asked for, make sure that those sites are trustworthy and in all cases, consult the ‘Privacy Statement’ of the company operating that website before giving out personal data as many times it happens that information contents are copied or altered while photos of individuals are used and misused without their permission.

Thus great care must be taken before posting anything online on social network such as Facebook, Orkut, Tweeter, Myspace, Hi5 and others as these sites are accessible at the touch of a key by anyone and even if the information has been locked it can easily be hacked as the system is defective many times,” said Usmani.

Tips to stay safe
Reza Soodhin, Research Officer at the IT unit at the National Computer Board said the workshop provided the teachers with a list of tips to inculcate in their pupils so that they might make a safer use of the

Internet. The tips are as follows:

*  Be responsible online

* Use chat and instant messaging sites for young people preferably with moderators.

* Do not circulate messages, pictures or other material that can hurt. Create safe profiles.

* Share images only with people you know and trust.

* Decline and block unwanted contacts.

* Refuse meeting people you do not know, even if they have become your “online friends”.

* Always tell your parents if you wish to keep in touch with someone you do not know in real life and use a webcam only with people you know and disconnect it when you are not using it.

* Think before you post anything. Once something is posted, it can be online forever. Don’t post anything you don’t want others to know – or that you wouldn’t dare to say face to face.

* Treat others as you would like to be treated.

* Remember that private images and videos you send or post on a social networking site may be easily passed on to others and uploaded to public sites. Once they’re up, it is almost impossible to remove them completely.

* Respect other people’s content and be aware that if you post or share their content it might breach copyright laws.

* Keep your personal information private. If you plan to send private information to anyone using your mobile phone, talk to a trusted adult before you send and always be cautious whether on the Internet or on the mobile.