Cyberwhat?

In these days of the online culture there’s a whole new set of terms used for acridities on the internet, here IL take a look at some of these

Cyber Bullying

Cyber bullying can work in the same way as bullying in the life, the victim is made to feel frightened and alone, while the bully tries to hide from being caught.

• Comments, images and videos about a person can be posted online causing the victim to feel frightened, victimized, alone and upset.
• It is possible for cyber bullies to hack into the victim’s personal accounts and harass them from within their own user profile.
• Often cyber bullies feel braver because they can’t be seen, but it can be the most traceable form of bullying because there’s evidence that it’s happened.
• But because bullies think they can cover up their identity online sometimes people who wouldn’t normally bully might do so online.
• Cyber bullying is often associated with children going online, but it’s NOT restricted to children, seemingly aware adults can be victims too.

Cyber stalking

Harassment on the internet can be just as frightening as other forms of stalking or bullying. Stalking in the real world can involve being followed, personal space being invaded. Now take that concept to the online world, internet activity being followed, social media profiles accessed and read, tracking your behavior.

• Women and girls are usually the victims of this kind of behavior, but not exclusively, men can be stalked also.
• They might be harassed by an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend who is upset about the end of their relationship, for example.
• It can begin when a purely online friendship turns sour.
• It can begin entirely at random, by one online stranger towards another.

Identity Theft

It may not start with Cyber, but it’s still an online risk. The more information you make available online, the greater the risk of identity theft. This involves the finding of personal information on the internet, in these days of the online community there’s already information online about all of us, however a lot of information is not available. The watchword is only put online what you want to be publically available, keep you personal information private.

Personal information includes your:

• email address
• phone number
• postal address
• any banking information
• photos of yourself

The consequences of fraud can be huge, so you should be aware of the very serious risks. If someone steals your identity they can:

• steal money
• open false credit accounts
• commit crimes that could put you or others danger
• commit crimes that you or others could find yourself in court

Awareness

The internet in general is safe, its a relatively small number unscrupulous individuals that we need to be aware of. With a few precautions the internet can be used quite safely, after all the topics discussed her may have an online slant to them, but bullying, stalking and identity theft can all happen in the real world too.