Keeping Safe: Online safety plan for service users
Using the internet in everyday life can be really beneficial to everybody; however, it can also increase the risks of violence and abuse. Therefore, it is really important if you use the internet that you plan for your safety as part of your safety planning process. Please consider completing this on-line safety plan.
Section 1: Social networking sites
1. Do you use on-line social networking services? Yes/ No/ Don’t know
If yes which of these do you use?
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MSN |
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Bebo |
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Myspace |
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Ning |
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Flixster |
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Last.fm |
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Other (please specify) |
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2. Do you or your children appear on any other site, including nursery, school
college, work, blogs etc? Yes / No/ Know
If yes:
I will consider telling the nursery/school/college or work that any reference to myself, or my children, could place me at risk and request in writing that all current references to me are removed and that no further references are added. I will keep a copy of this written request.
If you are don’t know whether you or your children appear on-line then:
I can check what current details are on-line concerning me by conducting a google check. Anything that could place me at risk will mean that I should consider contacting the site owner to get this information removed.
3. Do you or your children (or anybody else that you know) comment on blogs, or
leave reviews on line that could locate you? Yes / No/ Know
If yes:
I will stop leaving any comments, and ask my children to do the same, and explain to them how important this is to our safety.
If you don’t know then:
I will ask my children, family or friends whether they comment on blogs or leave reviews on line that could locate me.
Section 2: I am being targeted now.
4. Are you being targeted now. Yes / No/ Know
If yes:
If I am being targeted currently by the perpetrator (or by someone on their behalf) on my social networking site/s then I will consider stopping using the site/s, or starting a new account with limited friends and contacts and the highest levels of privacy.
Section 3: Ensuring that my privacy settings are safer
5. Are your privacy setting set properly so that only those who you wish to have access to your sites can do so? Yes / No/ Know
If no or don’t know then:
I can check the privacy settings that are available to me on all sites that I use and ensure that these are set at the highest level of safety.
I can consider removing access to my account, or details from the general public.
I can consider removing access to my account, or details from the perpetrator.
I can consider removing access to my account, or details from anybody connected to the perpetrator whose account could then be used in any way to connect me, harass me, or view my details.
Section 4: Safety on-line related to Family and Friends
To ensure that my family and friends consider my safety when on-line I can consider taking the following actions:
I will remove any friends from my contacts who could be placed in danger, be compromised or put in a difficult position, or may share information deliberately or without thinking with the perpetrator, or anybody associated with them.
I can ask my family and friends to make no reference to me (or my family), my location, my habits, my workplace, interests (including not putting any photographs of me or my children) on their pages)
I will ask my family/friends/children not to upset or antagonise the perpetrator or anybody connected to them on their pages.
Section 5: Simple on-line rules.
I can make sure my user name is anonymous and not connected in any way to my actual name, location, date of birth, or anything else that could identify me.
I can replace images of me with an avatar, an object or general image that cannot be connected to be, or have no image at all.
I will not post any photographs of myself or my children, unless my privacy settings are set at the highest level and I am sure that the perpetrator, or anybody connected to the perpetrator cannot view them.
If I do put photographs on my page I will not include any of my children that have them wearing school uniform, particularly where school logos are used.
I will not record any address, personal data such as schools, clubs, pubs, regular activities and places I visit.
I am aware that leaving location services switched on will reveal my location, via GPS technology, every time I make a post or take a picture, and this information could be used to track my location.
I will not put any information on my page that could upset, or antagonise, the perpetrator or anybody connected to them.
I will not respond to any posts or communication form the perpetrator, or anybody connected o to them.
I will keep all posts or communications from the perpetrator and consider reporting these to the police as evidence of harassments or threats of violence etc.
Section 6: General on-line safety for you, your children and your family
Ensure that you don’t accidently give people information or access to your account or information about you. A common way that anybody can break into financial or other accounts is by clicking the "Forgot your password?" link on the account login page. To break into your account, they search for the answers to your security Use caution when you click links that you receive in messages from your friends on your social Web site. Treat links in messages on these sites as you would links in e-mail messages.
Avoid answering questions, such as your birthday, home town, high school class, father's middle name, on your social networking site. If the site allows, make up your own password questions, and don't draw them from material anyone could find with a quick search.
Don't trust that a message is really from who it says it's from. Anybody can break into accounts and send messages that look like they're from your friends, but aren't. If you suspect that a message is fraudulent, use an alternate method to contact your friend to find out. This includes any invitations to join new social networks.
To avoid giving away e-mail addresses of your friends, do not allow social networking services to scan your e-mail address book. When you join a new social network, you might receive an offer to enter your e-mail address and password to find out if your contacts are on the network. The site might use this information to send e-mail messages to everyone in your contact list or even everyone you've ever sent an e-mail message to with that e-mail address. Social networking sites should explain that they're going to do this, but some do not.
Always type the address of your social networking site directly into your browser or use your personal bookmarks. If you click a link to your site through e-mail or another Web site, you might be entering your account name and password into a fake site where your personal information could be stolen, or safety compromised.
Be selective about who you accept as a friend on a social network. Be careful because perpetrators, or anybody else, might create fake profiles in order to get information from you.
Never meet someone that you have met on-line without letting family and friends know where you are going, always meet in a very public place, and if possible try and take a friend with you. Always get friends to call you throughout the date/meeting to check you are safe, and always have a safe way of getting home that does not involve the person you have met.
Choose your social network carefully. Evaluate the site that you plan to use and make sure you understand the privacy policy. Find out if the site monitors content that people post. You will be providing personal information to this Web site, so use the same criteria that you would to select a site where you enter your credit card.
Assume that everything you put on a social networking site is permanent. Even if you can delete your account, anyone on the Internet can easily print photos or text or save images and videos to a computer.
Think twice before you use social networking sites at work because this can either get you into trouble or can leave your personal details open to colleagues etc.
Be careful about installing extras on your site. Many social networking sites allow you to download third-party applications e.g. Toolbars that let you do more with your personal page. Criminals or anybody wanting to harm or locate you sometimes use these applications to steal your personal information. To download and use third-party applications safely, take the same safety precautions that you take with any other program or file you download from the Web.
Section 7: Keeping your children safe on-line
Always talk to your children about social networking sites and on-line safety. If you're a parent of children who use social networking sites, use the following SMART method to try and help them keep safer too.
SAFE: Keep safe by being careful not to give out personal information – such as your full name, e-mail address, passwords, phone number, home, address, photos or school name – either to people you are chatting with online or by posting it online where other people can see it. If the person who has been hurting you or your family, or someone else on their behalf, tries to contact you do not respond and tell someone you trust immediately.
MEETING: Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be very dangerous. Only do so with your parents’ or carers’ permission and
even then only when they can be present.
ACCEPTING: Accepting e-mails, Instant Messenger (IM) messages, or opening files,pictures or texts from people you don’t know or trust can lead to problems – they may contain viruses or nasty messages!
RELIABLE: Information you find on the internet may not be true, or someone online may be lying about who they are. Never assume that this information is real.
TELL: Tell your parent, carer or a trusted adult if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried, the person who has been hurting you or your family tries to contact you either directly or through someone else, or if you or someone you know is being bullied online. Report any concerns or on-line abuse to CEOP at
http://www.ceop.police.uk/report-abuse/
For more information
For more information about safety in general including safe dating, safety in relationships etc visit www.saynotofear.co.uk/keeping-safe
