safety

Internet and Device Safety

Cross Cultural workers were early adopters of the internet and social media. Both have helped us in so many ways that we can’t imagine our life and work without them. In fact, some of my readers may have no memory of the days of blue airgrams, one-month turnaround times for mail, or overseas calls that cost a lot for very little time.

But that was yesterday. Today, though we don’t live close to our family, friends, and supporters at home, we have the freedom and instant connectivity that the internet has provided us.

Even so, with every freedom, there are dangers. So, in this issue, I will give you links to some of the best information I have found for internet security for you and your children. You may know about some of these tools, and perhaps use them, but it’s always good to do a checkup and update, if needed. [Read more…]

House Rules for Computers

Leave a Comment

By Ben Taylor, May 2017 (www.bestvpn.com)

A well-considered set of technical “house rules” is a good starting point for families who want to work against the dangers presented by everyday technology. Different families will, no doubt, have different approaches, but here are ten possible house rules as a starting point.

Keep computers in living areas

The best place for the family computer(s) is the living room or kitchen, where children know that a parent may look over their shoulder at any time. Children already have online chat acronyms for warning their friends when people are watching, such as “POS” (parent over shoulder). Making clear you understand these will help too, and this resource will help with that. As an example of one to look out for, “ASL?” means “Age / Sex / Location?” and is often used at the start of conversations with online strangers.

Implement an “Internet embargo.”

You may wish to consider time-limiting Internet access to certain times of the day. Many routers even let you set the Wi-Fi network to disable itself after a certain time, say 9 pm. This may send shudders through many parents (myself included), but having such a policy is actually rather healthy for the adults in the household too!

Agree that parents will “friend” children on their social networks

When the time comes for children to want their own social media presence (much more on that below), a good initial compromise is to insist that one or both parents is a fully-fledged “friend” on that platform, who’s able to see all the child’s activity.

Give parents password access to all children’s devices

Children should not have devices that allow them to lock their activity away from their guardians’ reach. A parent should reserve the right to log in and see what’s been going on.

Parents approve or veto use of new social networks

If a child wants to get involved in a new social network (and in youngsters’ circles, there’s always a new big thing), they should get parental approval first. The UK site, Net-Aware, offers a fabulous resource that helps parents learn about new social networks, what they do, and what ages they are suitable for.

Children must tell parents before providing any personal information online

The idea here is to make handing over personal information online the exception, rather than the rule. Children should understand why it’s generally a bad idea to hand out addresses and phone numbers. In fairness, this is a reasonable stance for adults to take also.

Children must only use online chat to people they talk to in real life

This should be a no-brainer, but GuardChild states that nearly 70% of teenagers are contacted by strangers online on a regular basis and don’t notify their parents. Constant reminders on this are therefore paramount.

Web browsing histories should not be deleted

Youngsters (and adults!) who continually delete their web histories are generally looking at things they don’t want others to know about. You may, therefore, wish to make deleting browser histories a forbidden action for your children. The same applies to using “incognito” or private browsing modes, which don’t maintain any history.

I very quickly became aware of the non-existent browser history which made me instantly suspicious. At the time, Windows machines maintained a file (called INDEX.DAT) which allowed me to see all the visited websites despite the deleted history. If a child has spent hours browsing online and there’s no history to show for it, this should set off some alarm bells!

Children must report any bullying or anything distressing they see online

This one may prove hard to police, especially when children become secretive teenagers. However, an ongoing open discussion about topics like cyber-bullying should go some way to making children feel comfortable in sharing these issues.

Breaches mean a loss of privileges!

It’s almost inevitable that children will bend the rules at some point. As and when they do, it’s important for parents to follow up on their threatened sanctions – or nobody will take the rules seriously in the future.

You can read more of this article on Internet Safety: How to Keep Kids and Teens Safe Online

Safe and Secure

Leave a Comment

Who is safe anymore? No one! But international workers are exposed to many more dangers. We travel more. We live in sensitive and sometimes volatile places. We are often the first targets for violence.

It’s been almost 11 years since I wrote on international safety issues. At that time the World Trade Center bombings had just happened. In the intervening years our world has been rocked by any number of other terrorist attacks, tribal wars, and crazed shooters killing innocent people.

Where can we find safety? Do we hide in our houses and never venture out? That’s not possible. Do we go back home? We knew when we signed up for international service that we stood higher risks than those who remained home. Many of us signed papers releasing our organization from responsibility should we be kidnapped and held for ransom. [Read more…]

Safety Precautions

Leave a Comment

Tuesday morning in eastern USA, was Tuesday evening on Borneo. We had enjoyed a wonderful, badly needed day of rest at a lovely resort at the foot of jungle covered mountains overlooking the South China Sea. Much of the day had been spent soaking in the pool and resting on chaise lounges. Our idyllic peace was shattered at 9:15 PM when my husband channel surfed to CNN. Pictures of the World Trade Center in a pillar of smoke and the Pentagon engulfed in flames shook us as the horror unfolded. Nothing could have prepared us for the shock.

36 hours later, we still hardly know what to say when asked how we feel. But last night my husband began a series of camp meeting addresses. With the tragedy so fresh on everyone’s minds, there really wasn’t another topic that seemed right for that session.

[Read more…]