How Secure Are You: Security Settings for the Internet
October 26, 2008 by Antivirus Ware.comYou’ve heard it before; make sure your security settings are configured properly for the Internet. You have your spam blocker filter on your email account. Your browser is has its trusted sites configured and restricted sites neatly listed. Is that it? Definitely not! Internet Security settings should exist for all of the activities you conduct online. Additionally, if you have children, security settings are necessary to protect them from exposure to predators and illicit material online.
If you’ve visited an adult site, you know the only ‘safeguard’ to keep minors out amounts to a message that says if you aren’t 18 you should leave the site. This is not a security setting and will not prevent your children from entering the site if they desire. The same is true for chat rooms and other social networking sites. Although there are guidelines for most sites that specify that a minor has to be 13 to join, there is no way to police the entire Internet to ensure that this guideline is enforced. The concerned parent is responsible for ensuring the security of their child’s Internet surfing experiences.
If you are member of any site where you can post pictures, check to see where those pictures are stored and what happens to them if the site is shut down. It is very possible that your pictures will become the property of the site. Similarly, some chat rooms archive all conversations and store them for a number of years on tape.
