October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month

Cyber Security – it’s not just about keeping your credit card information safe.

According to MTV’s A Thin Line Campaign, “The Web and cell phones help us communicate, connect and learn in ways we never could before, but they've also forever changed how we interact with others. Things we used to share in person – and in private – can now be broadcast to thousands, instantly. Sometimes we type things we would never say to someone's face. As a result, new issues like forced sexting, textual harassment and cyberbullyiing have emerged, which now affect a majority of young people in the U.S.”

A new Associated Press-MTV poll of youth in their teens and early 20s finds that most of them - 56 percent - have been the target of some type of online taunting, harassment or bullying, a slight increase over just two years ago. A third say they've been involved in "sexting," the sharing of naked photos or videos of sexual activity. Among those in a relationship, 4 out of 10 say their partners have used computers or cellphones to abuse or control them.

While the AP-MTV poll results I was able to view did not break down the data by gender, we can assume that at least half of the people affected by cyberbullying, sexting, or textual harassment are women and girls.

A Thin Line goes on to recommend to teens and young adults that the best defense is a good offense.
o Keep your personal information private. Names, addresses, license plate numbers, where you work, your date of birth, your social security number—nobody online needs these. Zip it. Know Your Privacy Rights
o Keep your passwords in lockdown. Tell No One. That way you'll never have to try and remember who you gave it to when something bad happens. If you feel the need to share your password with someone, try a parent or a trusted adult.
o Trust your gut. If you don't like or feel threatened by something in a text or IM, or anywhere online, tell someone who can help you.
o Report it. Threats, harassment, hate... reporting to site admins or the police is 100% the right thing to do.
o Communicate. If you don't like what's going down online or in IMs or texts, talk to your partner about which behaviors are bugging you.
o Draw your line. No need to settle for relationships or friendships that don't give you any breathing room. If your inboxes are overflowing with unwanted messages, take control! Delete, de-friend, and defend your domain.

You can learn more at http://www.athinline.org/about#research