Internet Safety Terms (Safe Surfing)

Admin — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 22:44:29 +0000

- Bashboard:
- Cyber bullying: Cyber bullying is recurring or repeated bullying or harassment using electronic means which is willful and is meant to cause some sort of emotional distress. A rapidly growing problem.
- Cyber stalking: Cyber stalking is usually characterized by a “stalker” who repeatedly stalks his/her victim online to pursue, harass or contact another in an unsolicited fashion. In Illinois, a person commits cyberstalking when he/she knowingly and without lawful justification, on at least two separate occasions, harasses another person through the use of electronic communication.
- Cyber threats:
- Firewall Software or hardware that helps prevent hackers, viruses, and worms from attacking your computer.
- Fisking: Is the act of critiquing every minute detail in an article or an essay , with the intent to challenge the conclusions, or to highlight errors. A “verbal beating”.
- Flaming: The act of sending or posting electronic messages that are deliberately hostile and insulting,
- Flamebait: A message posted in a forum or group with the intent to provoke an angry response, hence the word “bait”
- Flame Wars: Series of flaming electronic messages in email, forums, etc.
- Happy Slapping: Occurs when an unsuspecting victim is attacked while an accomplice films the episode by some sort of electronic means. Often the attackers will say it was only a prank or joke.
- Hate sites:
- Hebephile: Someone who has a sexual preference towards pubescent adolescents
- Holy Wars: Type of flaming
- Lurking:
- Mouse-trapping:Technique that prevents a user from closing out of or exiting an objectionable Web site
- Net-banging:
- Netiquette: Derived from the “Internet Etiquette or Network Etiquette” is a phrase used describing behaviour or politeness and respect while using electronic means such as email, chatting, forums, etc.
- Over-blocking: Internet filtering software that blocks access to resources that the filter users didn’t intend to block
- Pedophile: Pedophilia, is a psychological disorder, someone who has a distinct sexual preference for pre-pubescent children

- Peer to Peer Network: A way to transfer data over the Internet. Are often used to swap copyrighted material illegally.

- Phishing: A criminal activity used to obtain personal information, such as passwords, bank account numbers, social security numbers, illegally. A fake web site that appears to be legitimate is created, then an official looking email is sent out to millions of unsuspecting online users hoping that a few people will go to the fake web site and provide personal information. This information is then used to steal from unsuspecting victims

- Pie-Fights: Type of flaming
- Pro-Ana (Anna) – Controversial Websites that may support the eating disorder, anorexia. “My friend, Ana” is a code-phrase for anorexia while “My friend Mia” is a code-phrase for Bulimia. Some believe these sites may be positive outlets for anorexics while others believe it promotes and encourages eating disorders.
- Pro-Mia: Controversial websites, similar to Pro-Ana sites, except this deals with the eating disorder, Bulimia
- Social Networking:
- Spam: Unsolicited messages delivered by electronic mail usually for commercial purposes. Also known as “junk mail”.
- Spim: Spam via instant messaging
- Trojan Horse: Remember the ancient story of a “gift” of a horse, which was filled instead, with Greek warriors? This is a program that pretends to be something else. Once the Trojan horse is installed, it could collect personal information, lock up the computer, or perform a variety of malicious deeds.
- Trolling
- Troll : Someone who enters an established online community like a discussion group, to intentionally provoke a response or disruption by posting hateful, derogatory, absurd, inflammatory messages or used to discredit other members
- Vishing: Similar to Phishing, but this uses VoIP-instead of responding via email, the victim calls in, and are prompted to input your account number using the telephones keypad-which is then stolen
- Worm: A self-replicating computer program. Like a real worm, it looks for a hole in your computer. A worm usually takes over a computer and tries to infect other computers over the Internet. It does not need to attach itself to another program, like a virus.
- Virus: A computer program that attaches itself to other programs, without user permission, for the purpose of replicating itself or performing other malicious acts such as erasing files, etc.

Family Safe Surfing

Internet Safety Terms (Safe Surfing)