Dangers of the Internet

Mackie Barber

#1: Cyberbullying

Nothing others can do about it when it is first

happening

Easier for bullies because they dont see the victims

reaction

Often times others do not have access to your accounts

Most of the time the bully isnt around their victim while the
bullying is taking place

People arent always who they say they are

Bullies dont always pose as themselves

Sometimes they make up fake people or pretend to be someone you know

and trust

If you are being cyberbullied, try to block that person

from having Internet contact with you

#2: Sexual Predators

Bad (and often older) people may try to target young

people on the Internet.
These people may try to get pictures of their targets
Be very careful if you plan meet up with someone you meet
up online

Do so in a public place and make sure you bring at least a couple

other people with you for safety

If you get a bad feeling about someone while talking

online, remember that you are not obligated to reply to
them

If someone makes you feel uncomfortable, simply do not respond to

their messages

#3: Inappropriate and Unwanted Pictures/Videos

Often times, inappropriate pictures can pop up while just

doing a simple Google search

Be aware of what you are typing in

Filtering systems can be installed on computers to stop such sites

from showing up
If you know that something may have an inappropriate double meaning,
you might want to try to think of different search terms

Filtering systems are not perfect

Some bad sites might still slip through, and some sites that are
perfectly fine might be flagged

#4: Damaged Reputations

If you post something on the Internet, it will be there

forever

Future employers may look back at your profiles and

accounts

Even if you delete something you post, there is still a record of it

being there and people are able to screenshot anything that pops up

Make sure that you arent hurting your chances of making a good
impression by posting things you shouldnt

If you have any doubts about putting something online,

you probably shouldnt do it

Youll thank yourself later

#5: Your Computer May Not Belong To You

If you have a company issued computer, it still belongs

to the company

Be mindful of what you are doing

Even if you have your own passwords, the company can still get into
the records of what you are doing with their computer
A work computer is most likely intended for you to do your work

Have separate work and personal devices/accounts

Work means work and personal is strictly personal. Crossing these

lines could end badly

#6: Copyright Infringements and Plagiarism

Almost everything on the Internet is copyrighted

If you use someone elses words and call them your own,
you are plagiarizing

The best way to make sure you arent plagiarizing is reading a

paragraph or two and then summarizing in your own words

If you really think that something is so perfectly said

that you cannot put it into your own words, put in in
quotation marks
Make sure you always give credit where credit is due

#7: Phishing

A lot of websites that ask for personal information may

be phishing for a chance to steal your identity

Only give your information to well-known and trusted websites

If a website has a lot of ads or pop-ups, you might want to think

twice before giving that credit card number

Some websites may try to get your information so they can

log onto your other accounts

Websites may try to gain access to your social media sites or email

This could put not only you, but also your company at
risk

If a virus infiltrates the company network, confidential information

could be leaked

#8: Streaming

Be courteous to coworkers and keep your streaming to a

minimum

Streaming music and videos constantly can really slow down the
network for everyone

Music and TV can be distracting

You are paid to work, not watch videos and listen to music

If they are work related it may be okay to a point, but streaming to

get out of doing your work is dishonest and tasteless

#9: Spyware

Spyware can result from visiting sketchy sites

It is a pain to remove

Spyware removal may also cut into your work time

The IT people probably wont appreciate you very much either

Your computer will be out of service while the spyware is being
removed

Again, only visit reputable sites that you know and trust

Dont click on any pop-ups or attention grabbing article titles, they

most likely do not lead to what you expected

#10: Harassment

Make sure you do not send anything that could be taken

the wrong way using an electronic device

Stay professional

People cannot hear the tone you put behind the words and may
interpret them differently than intended
Dont bring personal opinions or biases into the workplace

Do not send multiple messages if someone is not replying

Give them time to process and respond to an email or instant message.

They may feel uncomfortable if you send them a lot of messages or
obsess over a certain question

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