Internet strangers pose threat to students
Miranda Bruner, Ads Manager
April 26, 2010
Filed under Opinion
Although the dangers of the internet are typically introduced to students at a young age, students still put personal information on Facebook and other social networking sites, add “friends-of-friends,” as well as join chat room sites and talk to people they don’t even know. The dangers of the internet may not seem like a pressing issue, but there are hundreds of abductions that are enabled through some type of internet communication with a stranger.
Facebook sites may seem safe because people must be friends with a person before they are able to access certain information. However, students often don’t put that block on their information and pictures, so anybody could look through their information and gain access to their hometown, age, e-mail address, school and phone number. Many of the teen-abduction stories that are heard all over the country on the news originated from a simple chat on the internet, or through Myspace or even Facebook.
Typically, students who have a Facebook or Myspace account, add people who have friends in common with them, even if they do not know the person. It is extremely unsafe to add people that students don’t know, because they could hack into an account, or gain access to the information that is posted on student’s Facebook accounts. Students don’t always think about the dangers before they add people to their account.
In addition, there is a myspace.com “knock-off” website that is rnyspace.com, in which people type in their e-mail address and password, as if they are logging in like normal. Instead of accessing the correct account, this hacking site uses a student’s information to log into their actual Myspace account and send viruses to all of the person’s friends. Although a virus isn’t as harmful as talking to a stranger, the dangers of the internet can be seen more clearly.
While students should be able to learn how to use the internet safely without the constant watch of an adult, they should be cautious. If students were more educated about the potential dangers of chat rooms and social networking sites, they could be more safe on the internet. Students might think they are being safe while on Facebook, or in a chat room, but there are many students who don’t use the internet wisely.
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