Child identity theft occurs when a child’s personal information is used by someone for that imposter’s own gain, such as to obtain financial benefits or to clear a criminal record. When I first heard about child identity theft, I frankly didn’t think it existed. Who would bother to steal money from a 5-year old?
But child identity theft is on the rise.
Continue Leave a Comment February 5, 2010
As a young star in movies that were highly popular with a younger audience, Brittany Murphy may currently be a search engine topic of choice among your own children. Regardless of whether or not you knew who she was or how much talent you thought she had, many people are crowding on the internet to find out more about her and what happened…
Social networking sites are in essence a web of concentric circles, where your sphere of connections overlaps others’ to varying degrees but not completely. For this reason, considering the implications of privacy for you and for anyone in your circle or your circle’s circle is an important issue. Your definition of privacy may not be the same as theirs…
Continue Leave a Comment December 11, 2009
A couple of weeks ago, I decided to search my daughter’s name on Google. I was curious to see what the results might be for someone who has not yet established an online presence. I was amazed, worried, and amused all at once…
Continue Leave a Comment November 3, 2009
This past July, on my way to meet with the IT Director of a local school district, I walked the halls of the high-school where his office was located. The building, like so many public schools, appeared structurally fatigued, bearing the signs and scars of decades of students passing through. Anyone who viewed it from the street would have been bothered by its condition and the fact that kids spent 7-8 hours a day in it, 10 months out of the year.
I had expected to react similarly when the IT Director and I sat down to discuss the school’s technology infrastructure. I assumed that whatever was in place would be a mixed bag of old and new systems and software of various brands, purchased in waves, whenever enough money could be freed up. I also assumed some kind of security software would be in place, but that it would be minimal…
While summer has ended, a lot has just begun. My kids will have new experiences, meet new people, learn new things this school year.
In the midst of all this transition, it’s natural to want your kids to be safe and enjoy the experience. I am attentive to my kids’ safety from the moment they wake up, get dressed, get into the car and get to school. For the most part, safety is very naturally at the top of our minds wherever our kids are concerned.
Yet there is one area of a kids’ safety that continues to fall beneath the radar and is not taken as seriously as other aspects of their well-being.
