Cyber bullying magazine Nov 2016

KIDS FIRST PARENTS SECOND KEEPING YOUR CHILD SAFE IN THE DIGITAL WORLD

Understanding Risks and Harm: Teenagers, Social Media & Smart Phones

Nov. 2016

Cyber Bullying: Where does it happen?

From the Desk of the FBI Charlotte

June 20, 2016

FBI WARNING Sextortion Affecting Thousands of U.S. Children The FBI is seeking to warn parents, educators, caregivers, and children about the dangers of sextortion. Sending just one inappropriate image to another person online could become the catalyst for sextortion if that image, shared publicly or with their family and friends, is considered compromising to the victim.

Offenders easily misrepresent themselves online to appear to be friendly and age appropriate or simply an adult who will listen to a child. This relationship can be manipulated to groom the child to eventually send inappropriate images or video to the offender.

Furthermore, children may send images or videos to a known individual on purpose, but an offender may come into possession of those images or videos through the sextortion of the original recipient or if the original recipient puts the image on the Internet and the offender comes across it. Younger children can become victims when their friend or sibling is being sextorted and the offender threatens to make images or videos public if their requests to include the sexual abuse of younger children in the images or videos are not satisfied.

PARENTS: UNDERSTAND SOME BASICS!

Parents need to understand how apps are being used by teenagers in their interaction in the world social media. Parents need to identify and characterize the apps that their teenager is using to best understand its use and its potential for harm.

For our purposes Kids First Parents Second wants parents to be educated on three basic types of apps:

Vault Apps

provide teenagers information private on their smart phones, private from the watchful eyes of their parents.

Social Messaging Apps like Snap Chat that allow teenagers to post pictures, texts which self destruct and are automatically deleted.

Secret Apps

like Yik Yak which allow teenagers to assume an anonymous persona, allowing them to call, chat or text and remain undetected.

Parents need to understand that the one thing teenagers want most is to have privacy and interact freely on social media.

Teenagers must be educated by their parents PRIOR

to engaging in social media, just like you would educate a child BEFORE they crossed a street.

Teenagers have a false sense that their privacy will not be violated when they engage in social media. Teenagers believe this simply because they are told that their privacy is secure, under the representations made by social media apps like Snap Chat.

Teenagers do not know: 1. That hackers now and in the past have downloaded Snap Chat Pictures and posted them on line.

2. That the pictures they are sending on facebook may include a geo tracking link so that they can be followed or stalked by a stranger.

3. That they could be catfished, meaning that they could be interacting with a person who has assumed another’s gender, age and identity.

4. That they may become victims of sextortion. Teens who post nude or lewd pictures on social media may find themselves extorted by ex boyfriends or girlfriends who seek revenge after a break up. Worse yet, teens might find themselves dealing with another person who threatens to share their nude photo’s online unless certain demands are met.

“Teenagers have a false sense that their privacy will not be violated when they enter the world of social media.”

Investors have poured millions into apps that protect the personal privacy of individuals. Individuals in business may not want to provide their direct phone number to clients. Individuals selling their household goods or wares may have good reason to not to give out their personal information when selling on Craiglist, etc.

Most Apps are neither good or bad, they simply are tools. Parents also have to weigh their teenagers need for privacy with the potential risks the app can provide. So parents simply ask your teenager what is the purpose for this app being on their phone.

If there is a vault app on their phone perhaps it is to protect their information from the prying eyes of a younger brother or sister.

The more educated you become as a parent, the more irate you will be as to the apps that your teenagers are exposed to. What would be the purpose of your teenager having a Kik app so their communications would automatically be deleted and not seen? What would be the purpose of your teenager using a Burner app whose sole purpose is to disguise the user’s identity?

Most important of all: Talk to your teenager.

Understand why and communicate prior to reacting.

AN OPEN DISCUSSION TO REDUCE YOUR KIDS FROM THE RISK OF CYBERBULLYING

When a teenager learns to drive, they understand very quickly that freedom to drive has a direct correlation to how much responsibility they can take on. A parent will not want to put their teenage child behind a wheel who is not responsible because of the risks it creates for not only the teenager, but for others as well.

Teenagers all agree when they get their license that they have to abide by

the rules of the road, to watch the speed limit and be considerate about other drivers and pedestrians.

Smart

phones,

social

media and smart phone apps provide

teenagers

with

tremendous freedom.

Parents

and teenagers use their smart phones typically for TOTALLY DIFFERENT

REASONS.

Parents are typically ignorant of exactly how a teenager uses their smart phone.

Teenagers are typically ignorant of the dangers that are creeping into the digital world.

The FBI posted a online warning on sextortion, and advised teenage boys and girls from posting inappropriate pictures on line. The FBI posted this warning because of the individuals who are trolling the social media world where teenagers

live

and

breathe.

Teenagers have to educate themselves BEYOND the representation of SNAP CHAT and other social media apps to understand that millions of images have

been

stolen

and

shared all over the world.

If your family educates yourself to some basic rules you should find that you have greatly reduced your risk of harm.

Like anything else, education and

planning go a long way.

BASIC RULES TO FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA 1.I have turned Geotracker off BEFORE I will take pictures on my smart phone and share them on line.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

I have not agreed to release my phone number on-line in face book or any other social media.

If I can’t share a picture with my mom, I shouldn’t be sharing that picture on social media.

I should talk only to people that I know. I need to confirm their profile/identity off-line by calling them when I’m talking to them on-line.

I will DO NO HARM against anyone while I am on social media.

I will not enter any anonymous social media sites I will not act in a way to HARM anyone else when I am on a social media site.

“WHERE FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY MEET”

SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF APPS

Teenagers and Smart Phone Applications In 2015, a Pew Research study showed that up to 75% of teenagers have access to smart phones. Of that group, 33% were using “messaging apps� such as Kik or Whats Up when interacting with other teenagers.

Teenagers interaction with social media tells us that they desire both their freedom and their privacy when they use their smart phones.

When used for the wrong reasons, Smart Phone Apps have the potential for doing harm to one self and to others.

By the Numbers Social Media Apps: In 2015 Teenagers use of social media apps was broken down as follows:

Vault Apps Vault Apps, or Ghost Apps, allow your child to hide images, texts, and videos that they want hidden.

Certain vault apps may be opened simply by pressing a button while others require a code to be open. Vault apps allow the user to hide pictures from prying eyes. Vault apps also allow users to hide apps that may be harmful.

On first glance you may not see the vault app on your teenager’s mobile device. Your teenager can also go on the vault app, tap the menu and go into stealth mode.

To be certain that there is not a vault app on your phone contact the service provider for your phone company. There are easy techniques for displaying all the apps that are on your teenager’s phone.

Burner Apps Burner Apps were mostly designed to help business owners have privacy when talking to customer on their private cell phones. The creators of these apps most likely did not foresee how teenagers would use this sort of technology, just like they may or may not have foreseen how it might be used in other types of illicit behavior.

Some Social Media Apps allow the user to enter and post information anonymously on line. One such app, Yik Yak allows users to post textonly “Yaks,” or messages, of up to 200 characters. The messages have no filter and can be viewed by the 500 Yakkers who are closest to the person who wrote the Yak, as determined by GPS tracking. Users are exposed to – and contributing to – sexually explicit content, abusive language, and personal attacks so severe that schools are starting to block the App on their Wi-Fi.

Danger doesn’t always look like this‌..

Sometimes, it can find you on line and look something like this:

IMPERSONATION of the First Kind The FBI has issued various warnings about teenagers interacting with strangers on line.

Federal officials and advocates say online sex-related extortion against children is growing, and they are urging educators and parents to help raise awareness at back-to-school events.

They say they see a rise in so-called sextortion, which often involves adults posing as someone younger on social media to get minors to send them inappropriate photos or video. Offenders typically threaten to post the images they obtain – or send them to others – unless they are sent more explicit images.

“It’s not uncommon,” said Michelle DeLaune, chief operating officer at the nonprofit National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, based in Alexandria, Va. “It’s something that we see every day, and it’s something that’s concerning because it can inflict a tremendous amount of damage on a child.”

FBI officials say offenders often approach children and teenagers - typically ages 10 to 17 - on social networking sites but then convince them to move to anonymous apps or video chats.

THE TWELVE BASIC RULES

This is Patrick.….

This is who Patrick thought he was texting

This is who Patrick was actually texting

Catfish Protip: If someone lives in the U.S. but, has really bad grammar like it’s their second language, be aware and don’t be afraid to ask more questions before pursuing a relationship with out seeing or talking to them first.

TO AVOID BEING CATFISHED Social Catfish.com has come up with 12 basic rules to watch out for when engaging a stranger on social media.

Catfish Protip: If they seem too good to be true, they probably are. People who catfish others usually make up fake lives so they can be as extravagant as they want to be. It’s difficult for you to verify the information so, be careful if they live an extreme lifestyle.

Catfish Protip: Online scammers and catfish usually have broad profile interests so that they can appeal to as many people as possible. So, if someone doesn’t seem to have an opinion or their interests are very broad, be wary. They may be out to scam someone. Some examples would be them saying that they can get dressed up and go to the opera or ride horses and kick their boots up. Most people don’t have interests that are this broad so, if this seems like a person you’ve met online, be careful.

Catfish Protip: If someone seems to be falling for you and pushing the relationship forward without having talked to you or after just a little contact with you, they’re probably trying to catfish you online. If someone seems to be falling for you and they write and say all of these loving things about you after a very short amount of time. Be careful. This is especially the case if they ask you for money right away.

Catfish Protip: If someone can only talk to you through chat or through email and things ‘keep coming up’ that prevent them from using a phone or from you seeing them in person, there is probably something funny going one. This is also the case if you are able to talk to them and their voice doesn’t match their ethnicity (this isn’t always the case) or their voice seems to change and you start to question if that was the same person you were talking to before. Be cautious.

Catfish Protip: If someone asks for money after only knowing you for a little bit of time, be cautious. You may have been the target the entire time. And if they ask you to send it to someone else for any reason, make sure you stop communication as there is a high possibility that they’re a scammer. If you tell them that you don’t have money, see how fast a catfish will run. And even in some cases, we’ve seen catfish offer money and ask for bank account information. NEVER GIVE YOUR BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION OUT!

Catfish Protip: Think about it. The likelihood of someone contacting you out of nowhere and starting a romance with you is highly unlikely. So, if anyone is doing this to you, be careful. Also, be on guard if someone says a friend of a friend is trying to connect you two. Go to any contacts and try and verify if that information is correct before moving forward with them.

Catfish Protip: Online dating scams usually consist of a person ‘faking’ their identity so, keep an eye out if their online identity doesn’t look real. People should have contacts, friends and relatives on their social profiles. If they don’t, be open to the fact that the person may be lying. Most people will post pictures of themselves, their friends and will have real interactions with others on their social accounts. If they don’t they’re usually hiding something.

Catfish Protip: Most catfish try and look appealing so they’ll steal pictures of attractive people. The people can be models, movie stars or other famous people. Even famous people from overseas so, don’t let the fact that you don’t recognize someone as being famous fool you.

Catfish Protip: Most catfish that are trying to scam you will make up farfetched lies so that you’ll feel sorry for them. If they do this and then ask for money, be weary.

Catfish Protip: In the end, trust your instincts. Most people that come to us already have a hunch that something isn’t right. If that is you, you may be correct. You know when you have that unsettling feeling. When dating people online, trust your gut.

IMPERSONATIONS of the Second Kind “What did she say?” Suzy seemed to be nice and quiet at school. Suzy’s profile page was filled with nothing but hate, lies and gossip. Suzy’s friends began to distance themselves from her. Suzy was the victim of a fake profile, someone using her identity to embarrass and humiliate her. What happened to Suzy could happen to any one of us.

In 2016 you are going to have to confirm that your friends “online” are the same friends you have “off-line.” Pick up the phone every now and then and confirm that the friend you think are talking to ACTUALLY is behind the person who’s sending messages off their profile page.

UNDERSTANDING THE PITFALLS OF SNAP CHAT “Duh Mom! My Pictures Are Private, My Profile Is Anonymous. No One’s going to EVER find Pictures that I shared on the internet!”

ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?

So are Your Images You Post Private, or Permanently Available to the Public?

Two Million Accounts Accessed Snap Chat Hacked!

2014 (As it developed‌..)

A giant database of intercepted Snapchat photos and videos has been released by hackers who have been collecting the files for years. Shocked users of the notorious chat forum 4chan are referring to the hack as "The Snappening," noting that this is far bigger than the iCloud hacks that recently targeted celebrities.

Underground photo-trading chat rooms have been filled in recent weeks with hints that something big was coming.

Thursday night it finally arrived: A third-party Snapchat client app has been collecting every single photo and video file sent through it for years, giving hackers access to a 13GB library of Snapchats that users thought had been deleted.

Users of 4chan have downloaded the files and are creating a searchable database that will allow people to search the stolen images by Snapchat username.

The database of Snapchat files posted online was hosted on viralpop.com, a fake competition website that installed malicious software on the computers of users trying to take part. That site has now been suspended and taken offline, although thousands of people have already downloaded the collection of Snapchats.

An anonymous photo trader contacted Business Insider to tell us that the site affected was SnapSaved.com. The service acted as a web client for the Snapchat app that allowed users to receive photos and videos, and save them online. What its users didn't realize was that the site was quietly collecting everything that passed through it, storing incriminating Snapchats on a web server, with the usernames of senders attached.

Hackers appear to have posted account info for 4.6 million users of quickie social-sharing app Snapchat, making usernames and at least partial phone numbers available for download.

"Our motivation behind the release was to raise the public awareness around the issue, and also put public pressure on Snapchat to get this exploit fixed. It is understandable that tech startups have limited resources but security and privacy should not be a secondary goal.

Security matters as much as user experience does," the hackers said.

So, they fixed the problem right? I have thing to worry about!

Take us to 2016 – Snap Chat Hack App

SNAP CHAT HACK Snap Chat Hack is an app that allows ANYONE to go on line and access/hack the snap chat account of their choice.

DOES THIS MAKE YOU MAD? From the Online Desk of Snap Chat Hack Question: Can I get traced back to, or face any legal charges for using Snapchathack.mobi?

Answer: No, the victim’s account is hacked directly by our servers, so your original IP address or anything that could possibly be traced back to you, isn’t used by Snapchathack.mobi. You’re completely anonymous and safe with Snapchathack!

Cyber Bullying: Classifications 1. Harassment It involves the bully sending offensive and malicious messages to an individual or a group and is often repeated multiple times. Cyberstalking is one form of harassment that involves continual threatening and rude messages, and can lead to physical harassment in the real, offline world.

2. Flaming Flaming is similar to harassment, but it refers to an online fight exchanged via emails, instant messaging or chat rooms. It is a type of public bullying that often directs harsh languages, or images to a specific person.

3. Exclusion Exclusion is the act of intentionally singling out and leaving a person out from an online group such as chats and sites. The group then subsequently leave malicious comments and harass the one they singled out.

4. Outing Outing is when a bully shares personal and private information, pictures, or videos about someone publicly. A person is “outed� when his information has been disseminated throughout the internet.

5. Masquerading Masquerading is a situation where a bully creates a fake identity to harass someone anonymously. In addition to creating a fake identity, the bully can impersonate someone else to send malicious messages to the victim.

Anonymous Social Media – Simply a bad idea?

Before there was Yik Yak, there was burn book. Before Burn Book there was Secret. Anonymous social apps are big business.

Burn book was actually created after the movie “Mean Girls” was produced.

So how does Yik Yak work? Well you are provided an anonymous profile name and you can share stories or spread rumors. 200 or so fellow yik yak users within a given radius will be able to read your stories/rumors.

Yik Yak created such potential for cyber bullying that the owners of the app created “geo fences” preventing students from using the app around middle schools and high schools.

Yik Yak has caused so many problems that college campuses have prohibited their students from using the app.

States are asking that Yik Yak now include geo fences to prohibit its use in college campuses.

Anonymous social apps are here to stay. The good news is that businesses are now extremely conscious about its product being used to commit acts of cyber bullying.

Burner Apps – False Identity?

Burner apps give bullys the perfect playground to perform acts of cyber bullying. Burner apps now have the ability to be used with any social media app that is on your smart phone.

Smart phones

App Companies do not care HOW their app is used. The fact that someone used an app to Hurt you is NO CONCERN To most companies.

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