Identity Safety
What is Identity Safety?
Identity safety means simply making sure that you, and only you, can use and share your personal information. This personal information includes, your name, age, sex, appearance, phone number, email address, home address, your usernames/passwords to accounts you are a part of, the school you attend, hobbies/extracurriculars you are involved in, etc. This information can be shared in a variety of ways, both voluntarily and involuntarily, so it is important to always make sure you know who will have access to information you give out through any medium. Most importantly, people must be careful about the information they share on the internet through social media or other programs/accounts that require personal information to sign up.
Identity safety means simply making sure that you, and only you, can use and share your personal information. This personal information includes, your name, age, sex, appearance, phone number, email address, home address, your usernames/passwords to accounts you are a part of, the school you attend, hobbies/extracurriculars you are involved in, etc. This information can be shared in a variety of ways, both voluntarily and involuntarily, so it is important to always make sure you know who will have access to information you give out through any medium. Most importantly, people must be careful about the information they share on the internet through social media or other programs/accounts that require personal information to sign up.
What are some safety and legal issues related to Identity Safety?
By sharing personal information without thinking about who has access to it, you are putting yourself at risk for identity theft, scams, spam, and even damaging physical or emotional harm. With this personal information that you make public through your Facebook page, or other applications, people can find out your location, interests, etc, or in more serious cases, your social security number or financial information. This is when identity theft can occur, which affects your ability to obtain a drivers license, open a bank account, buy a car, and many other things that will be necessary as you grow up.
So how can we keep our identities safe?...
By sharing personal information without thinking about who has access to it, you are putting yourself at risk for identity theft, scams, spam, and even damaging physical or emotional harm. With this personal information that you make public through your Facebook page, or other applications, people can find out your location, interests, etc, or in more serious cases, your social security number or financial information. This is when identity theft can occur, which affects your ability to obtain a drivers license, open a bank account, buy a car, and many other things that will be necessary as you grow up.
So how can we keep our identities safe?...
Tips for students:
~Be careful about what you share on your social media sites and other accounts. Ask your parents, or another adult if it is appropriate to share certain information for different situations.
~Keep your usernames/passwords for all accounts private. Do not share any of this information with anyone, even your friends. If you need to write down your passwords to remember them, make sure to keep them in a safe place where nobody else can find them.
~If you start to get suspicious about people trying to connect with you via social media or other accounts, don't brush it off and definitely do not accept. Make sure to find out what information they can see on your profile and make the necessary changes to remove information or make it private.
~Keep your usernames/passwords for all accounts private. Do not share any of this information with anyone, even your friends. If you need to write down your passwords to remember them, make sure to keep them in a safe place where nobody else can find them.
~If you start to get suspicious about people trying to connect with you via social media or other accounts, don't brush it off and definitely do not accept. Make sure to find out what information they can see on your profile and make the necessary changes to remove information or make it private.
Tips for educators:
~Avoid assignments that require students to make accounts, or share personal information in any way.
~For assignments that require research, or use of the Internet, give a short lesson about how to safely use the internet without giving out personal information and other Internet safety tips.
~Model appropriate ways to use accounts and social media. If you are going to share something from one of your accounts, make sure that you are not revealing too much personal information on your page or profile that they can access.
~For assignments that require research, or use of the Internet, give a short lesson about how to safely use the internet without giving out personal information and other Internet safety tips.
~Model appropriate ways to use accounts and social media. If you are going to share something from one of your accounts, make sure that you are not revealing too much personal information on your page or profile that they can access.
Tips for parents:
~Know what information your children are sharing on the internet. Set rules about what accounts they can create and be sure that they are not revealing too much information. It is not unsafe for them to have social media accounts, but make sure they know how to use them properly.
~Be aware of suspicious mail or email that you receive on behalf of your children. If you are not sure why your child received a piece of mail, check into it, it may be because someone is using their information. If you think this is the case, make sure to help them resolve the problem to avoid further activity.
~Help your children be aware of the dangers they face by sharing too much information. Talk with them about proper use of the Internet and why it is important to keep their information private.
~Be aware of suspicious mail or email that you receive on behalf of your children. If you are not sure why your child received a piece of mail, check into it, it may be because someone is using their information. If you think this is the case, make sure to help them resolve the problem to avoid further activity.
~Help your children be aware of the dangers they face by sharing too much information. Talk with them about proper use of the Internet and why it is important to keep their information private.
Resources:
Internet Safety Center- Helpful information for students, parents and educators about identity theft as well as other topics of cybersafety.
CyberSmart- Sample lesson plans, activity sheets and topics for educators and/or parents to cover.
NetSmartz- Information for parents, educators, and students about a variety of topics in cybersafety.
About Identity Theft- Provides information about how identity theft happens and how to protect children from harm.
Teach Kids Online Security Basics- Microsoft's online safety page that covers how parents and educator's can help teach kids the basics of online security.
Internet Safety Center- Helpful information for students, parents and educators about identity theft as well as other topics of cybersafety.
CyberSmart- Sample lesson plans, activity sheets and topics for educators and/or parents to cover.
NetSmartz- Information for parents, educators, and students about a variety of topics in cybersafety.
About Identity Theft- Provides information about how identity theft happens and how to protect children from harm.
Teach Kids Online Security Basics- Microsoft's online safety page that covers how parents and educator's can help teach kids the basics of online security.