The term ‘digital exhaust’ really neatly illustrates that, as you use the Internet, you also leave behind a trail of ‘data’ – in databases, cookie files, and access log files, etc.

 This type of ‘data’ doesn’t usually contain personal information (and in many cases, can’t be used to identify you), but it can be used for commercial advantage, and in some cases, nefarious purposes; and in the future, data we currently think is innocuous might be exploited in other ways too.

 Have you ever visited a website and seen an advertisement and then clicked to another website and seen exactly the same ad?  This is an example of what can happen when ad networks track your digital exhaust!

 And there are other online technologies that can track your activity online too, such as buttons on social websites, and web-analytics services (that provide data about visitors to a website owner).

 Someone may track you unintentionally, as a result of an unexpected side-effect of a particular technology, or very deliberately – in some cases profiling you or potentially delivering malicious files to your computer.

 If you’re concerned about how your digital exhaust is being used, there are some things you can do to help protect your privacy:

Install Internet Security software that offers ‘do not track’ functionality to advise you, or block access to sites that track you.

• Search for add-ons or extensions to your Web Browser (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer) using the word ‘privacy’ – there are many useful plug-ins available that can help you minimise your exhaust.
• Investigate how to clear old cookies from your computer – but before doing so, understand this may force the need to re-login to some sites that may have previously remembered your details.

 Until next time, stay safe out there, and think about your digital exhaust!

 Privacy Awareness Week 2012 runs from 29 April to 5 May and is all about promoting awareness about privacy rights and responsibilities in the community. For more information visit www.privacyawarenessweek.org.

Note: the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy does not endorse any commercial products or services.

National Consumer Fraud Week 2012 is all about raising awareness of scam delivery methods to help you identify and slam a scam at the point of contact.

Scammers are using increasingly sophisticated methods to deliver scams, taking advantage of new technology and communication methods to try and slip under your radar. Online platforms and mobile technology such as emails, social networking sites, smartphones and tablets make it easier to connect with people around the world and communicate in real time anonymously, privately or publicly. Unfortunately, scammers can also take advantage of these benefits to target you.

Scammers are particularly good at targeting online buyers and sellers, often taking advantage of popular and trusted online shopping sites to try and lure you into giving them your personal details or money.  Scammers may list sought-after items for sale – such as cars, boats, or even exotic birds or pedigree puppies – at prices that seem too good to be true. They may also try and trick you into giving money upfront for ‘fees’ or ‘taxes’, payable by electronic money transfer or money order. If you pay money to a scammer, you’ll probably never see the item or your money again.

Scammers will use any means to deliver a scam and get you to part with your money or personal details. If you receive a scam, slam it! Remember to:

press delete, throw it out, shut the door or just hang up.

Here are some tips to help keep scammers at arm’s length:

DON’T RESPOND

Ignore suspicious emails, letters, house visits, phone calls or SMS – press ‘delete’, throw them out, shut the door or just hang up

WATCH OUT FOR SLICK TRICKS

Scammers often use sophisticated tricks to fool you such as fake websites, glossy brochures, technical jargon or posing as someone that you know and trust – don’t fall for them!

DON’T LET SCAMMERS PUSH YOUR BUTTONS

Scammers will often play on your emotions to get what they want

PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY

Your personal details are private and invaluable – keep them that way and away from scammers

Check out Slam Scams! for more information on Fraud Week 2012, an initiative of the

Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce.

 I’d love to meet anyone who does actually buy an elephant because I would have lots of questions for them!

 There can be a down side to going online. Just as we face dangers when we drive our cars on the road so we face dangers when we drive on the information super-highway which we all know as the internet.  I’m sure you have endeavoured to be a very safe car driver so that is what you also need to do when using the internet. If you visit Stay Smart Online and then scroll down a bit you will see on the right hand side of your screen a list of Top Tips.  Perfect!  Read them carefully – they are all good common sense – and following these tips may help you become a confident, safe, user of the internet.

 Technology is creeping into almost every aspect of our lives. Are there advantages and new areas of satisfaction for older Australians who use a computer and the internet? Where do they go to learn? Will someone be able to reassure them as they nervously begin to learn? 

 One way is by joining computer clubs for seniors, which help to meet the needs of older Australians who want to know more about computers – they provide a friendly and non- threatening environment. Or you could book into a Broadband for Seniors kiosk.

 ASCCA is part of the consortium led by NEC that is rolling out the Australian Government funded Broadband for Seniors program which offers lessons for seniors on how to use the internet and set up an email account. There are nearly two thousand of these computer kiosks across Australia, including one in the ASCCA training room.

 Oh yes, there are many advantages for us; by mastering the use of simple technology some older people are finding their general wellbeing and independence strengthened. A great number of older Australians want to make use of modern technology and we need a reliable, high-speed broadband network to help make it happen.

 Have fun with your computer and Stay Smart Online!

 For more information about Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association contact ASCCA or phone 02 9286 3871 for information about the closest club or kiosk to your home.

What makes things even messier is that cyberbullying almost always involves more complex social issues that play out through the use of digital prosthetics – mobile phones, computers, and even gaming consoles.  As a result, technological safeguards and reporting tools are inadequate when used alone.  Instead, it’s important to be aware of both social and technological strategies and the way in which these interact.

With that in mind, I’ve put together some simple social and technological tips for dealing with cyberbullying on social media platforms:

Protecting yourself:

• Unique passwords for different sites are pretty important.  This isn’t just for the sake of keeping your banking and email secure. Basically, if you use one password across Facebook, Hotmail and Twitter and somebody who gains access wants to damage your relationships or livelihood, that person will have your entire social network at their disposal.
• Personal contact details (phone numbers, email addresses, etc) should not be visible on your profile.  Again, this isn’t just to avoid unwanted attention from strangers, but also from people you know.  If you have 1000+ friends and start receiving threatening or harassing text messages, you need to be able to narrow down exactly who could be the culprit.
• Check yourself when publishing new posts, photos, groups, or events to make sure that the content won’t be perceived as inflammatory.  If things get nasty down the track you don’t want it to emerge that you provided the initial ammunition.

Responding to hate/abuse:

• Calmly asking the person responsible to take down offensive content is obvious but it can sometimes be an  important first step.  Sometimes taking formal action can unnecessarily escalate a situation, so first make it clear that unless videos or audio content are immediately removed (not just “un-tagged”), you will be making a report to site administrators.
• Use your status or mood update to announce that your account has been hacked if recent activity was not your own. This is useful when somebody has gained access to your account and used your status, photos, chat messages or comments to deliberately misrepresent you. Don’t use this as an opportunity to accuse anyone – this will definitely make things worse.
• Getting a screen grab or print out of offensive content before you delete anything should help you in making a complaint. For anyone who has ever experienced seeing something horrible about yourself written online, you’ll know that the obvious response is to want to make it disappear.  

Being a proactive bystander:

• Don’t laugh/LOL, “like” or contribute to abusive content targeting any individual.  Cyberbullying often has the effect of isolating a person to the point that it seems like the whole world is against them.  Only you can make the choice about whether you can deal with having contributed to that.
• Sending a private message can show support. If you see that someone has been given a hard time online and don’t want to put yourself out there publicly, you can write a message that shows that you disagree with what’s going on.
• Appealing to others using the forum to give visible support, such as standing up for the targeted individual or showing disapproval of hateful comments is another option for providing support to the targeted person.
• Report hate pages, groups or abusive content to site administrators, requesting that it is removed (again keep a print-out or screen grab as evidence).

For more info, check out www.projectrockit.com.au or give us a buzz on 0430 387 957.

PROJECT ROCKIT is a partner of National Cyber Security Awareness Week. For more information about the Stay Smart Online initiative or to become a partner in 2012, email the National Cyber Security Awareness Week partnership team.

Accordingly, with more students embracing the online world each year, it’s important for PLC to play its part in supporting and emphasising responsible online behaviour. 

Across the College, our technology program aims to prepare students to be competent, discerning users of online technology, confident to adapt to the changes of the future. We have also introduced a subject for Years 7 and 8 which provides students with a strong grounding in computer skills, including the social and ethical use of the internet.

When speaking to parents about technology, one of the most discussed issues is social networking. A high proportion of our students access social media, such as Facebook, and we’re seeing more children participate actively in social media by creating blogs or uploading video diaries onto sites such as YouTube. Social media can be a great way for students to seek information, connect with one another and express an opinion, but it can also be a challenging and concerning environment at times.

We’re aware that talking with children about what they are doing online can help them improve their safety online and offer more positive experiences on the internet. It’s just as important for parents to reinforce these messages at home, and to be involved and aware of their children’s online activities. Should they come across anything suspicious or if anybody says or does something that makes them feel uncomfortable, it’s important for parents to know and help them with these situations.

A helpful tip for the next time your children are on a home computer is to take a moment to sit with them and see how they are using the internet. Having that first conversation and many more afterwards can go a long way in helping them stay safe online.

Well it happened to me last Christmas….mainly because I was shopping interstate, rather than in my local neighbourhood. The bank’s computer systems alerted a bank staff member who called me to determine whether I was spending with my card or if fraud was occurring. In this case, it was me spending, but it does go to show that there are reasons for the banks to have your phone numbers and to know if you have travel plans.

Banks are most likely to contact customers if you take your card overseas or interstate and you’re not a regular traveller. If fraud is occurring on your account, then generally banks will block the card to prevent any more spending and they will send you a new card. As you can understand, banks may have to act very fast in such cases and if they cannot reach you, they may block your card anyway to protect your account.

We trust banks to keep our savings safe, provide finance when we need it and not to leave us out of pocket if we become unwitting victims of fraud. So it’s important to understand that banks are always working to improve security enhancements to protect customers.

Online banking can be a safe alternative when travelling, especially if you are carrying your own laptop which is protected with up-to-date firewall and anti-virus software. You do need to avoid using public computers because you don’t know if security software has been loaded on to the terminal. Public computers, for example in Internet cafés or hotels, may also have a keystroke logger installed which allows criminals to capture passwords, credit card and bank account details.

Just like locking your front door before you leave home, there are some simple steps that you can take to tighten your personal security:

• Never reveal your PIN or Internet banking password or logon to anyone – a bank will never ask you for this information
• Make sure that you shop online only with trusted companies on secure websites, and
• Lock your letterbox so thieves can’t steal personal information.

We hope some of these simple tips will help keep your holiday season safe from fraud.