In La Piazza, we insist that it is important to keep an eye on your teenager’s online practices despite how difficult it is sometimes to strike a balance between trust and authority, as explained in Mom, were you spying on me?

Well, sometimes, even the most cautious parents and kids get unpleasant surprises when simply searching for information on the Internet. Usually, search engines crawl for websites and then use advanced techniques to determine search results. The fact is that no human categorisation or intervention is involved, as web spidering is bot-based.

Safe search

Therefore when you are searching pages or images, for example, the most innocent keywords could return results related to explicit sexual matters, pornography, violence, drug use, gambling etc..

A friend of mine recently told me that this type of situation happened to her once when her 13 year-old daughter was doing her homework. She had to do a project on the food pyramid. In order to illustrate the subject, she decided to prepare a Power Point presentation containing images of the different types of foods. There she was googling words like cereal, vegetables, bread, fish, etc.. Fair enough, the basic nutrients.

However, when she went looking for specifics and typed in certain type of vegetables or fruits, the returned results were not, let’s say, as expected. Luckily, my friend was sitting next to her daughter and was quick to press the Back button. Although my friend told me she had the feeling this could have happened, deep down she was hoping for a filter of some kind to be applied by default. Wrong!! As far as I know, you do have to change the default configuration of the search engine or else opt for other alternatives, so here go some of them:

• Apply child filters in your usual search engine. If you use Google, check the SafeSearch Filtering section.
• Get your child to use search engines which offer child-friendly content only. They achieve this by filtering out inappropriate content which you, as a parent, would find offensive for your child. In general, this is done by using human beings to filter out the unsuitable sites. Check out article Which Search Engines are Safe for Kids? for further information.
• Install Parental Control applications on your computer. The 2012 Panda Security products which feature this type of protection.

And keep an eye on the Internet history, and temporary Internet files to ensure that only what you want seen is viewed on your home computer.

Please share your comments with us and tell us if you found this article useful!

If you don’t have the foggiest idea about what today’s title post means, all the more reason for reading it.

We recently published Kids and technology: 6 basic rules to bear in mind in order to emphasize how important it is to encourage your teen to trust you and to share with you who his online friends are, what personal data he has facilitated on his Internet profiles as well as various other safety tips.

But .. what good is it that your child shares with you his WhatsApp, Messenger, or Skype conversations if you do not understand half the things he or others write?

What is LOL? What do the symbols xD stand for? Why FAIL? Why is your son, who usually gets outstanding marks in English, all of the sudden making atrocious spelling mistakes in Facebook?

Relax, breathe deeply. Your child simply speaks the Internet slang, a language with its own communication rules, plagued by new terms, acronyms and symbols mainly used in forums, chats, blogs and social networks and rapidly spreading to other common places such as the email at the workplace.

LOL

And I am warning you .. the vast majority of users are fluent in it, so please, do learn some basics and please, please, please, do not ask your child to follow the formal written English rules or the BBC standard English rules because this simply is not cool therefore it just won’t happen. It is not about wrecking any language rule possible –Internet users do not appreciate this either – yet there are unwritten and written rules that have become common practice amongst Internet users.

So, if you not only want to belong to the community but also want to understand what is discussed here, you have no other choice but to learn some basic terms. And don’t forget to always use your wit! As a study by the University of Tasmania published by the BBC called Do not be 404, know techslang points out, while the use of Internet slang saves the writer time, it takes the reader twice to understand the message.

The list of terms is endless, but here you will find some of the most used terms. And stop feeling like a fish out of water!

Acronyms:

• AKA: Also Known As. Used to list aliases a person, movie, book, etc.. is known as.
• ASAP: As soon as possible.
• LOL: Acronym for Laughing Out Loud or the Lot Of Laughs, it means noisy or loud laughter.
• IMO / IMHO: Acronym for In My Opinion / In My Humble / Honest Opinion.
• BRB: Be right back.
• BTW: By the way.
• THX: Thanks!
• OMG: Oh my God
• WTF: What the fuck. Rude as it is, excuse us for including it here but it has become common practice.
• FAIL: Or sometimes, Epic Fail. Mistake of huge proportions, very often used to express disappointment at failure.

Symbols:

• xD: Small face representing the expression of a smile with your eyes closed and tight. Used when you want to share a joke.
• o_0: Face with eyes wide open. Indicates confusion.
• ^ ^ ^: Long laugh
• XOXO: If the person you like writes this, it means that they are sending kisses.
• XXX: Kissing.

Do you dare send a funny acronym you learnt with your teen?

You always swore not be a controlling parent, promised not to spy on your children, you set yourself the objective to educate them to be responsible adults and yet, suddenly, one day you find yourself spying your preteen Facebook account … What happened?

To make matters worse, you make an unforgivable mistake. You make an informal comment on his wall, just like that, something about the shirt he is wearing in one of the pictures he has uploaded (you are certain that you have not bought the shirt) and this is where your little boy bursts in anger like a caveman and begins to accuse you of spying, of publicly embarrass him in front of his friends.

Your worry is normal. Yet, do not torture yourself, although your offspring thinks and so he constantly reminds you of it, you have not suddenly become an abominable being.

As much as you trust your children, when they reach a certain age, parents should be very much on top of things. But how can we do so without appearing to distrust or interfere too much on their privacy?

First of all, sit down with your child and let him know the first condition in your home when he uses social networks such as Facebook is that you are one of his “friends”. This conversation should aim to make him understand how important it is for you to be forward and honest, just the opposite of feeling spied on. Unless your relationship with your child is very special, under no circumstance should you comment on his photos or status updates. Do not make him feel ashamed, at this age these things can end up dramatically.

Sit with your child and review with him his profile and the configuration of his privacy policy (the latter is not easy, as they tend to change often and are relatively complex to understand. There is much information on the web, like the Facebook Security Center find out before if you’re not entirely sure).

Teach him to think the same way a cybercriminal would. Teens create web profiles to express themselves. They need to understand their own identities, and tell others. It’s part of growing up. But cyberspace can be dangerous. So make him realise how easily personal information can be shared with strangers and the dangers this entails.

It is much easier to be “permissive”, “tolerant” and “open” if we are confident that our, however much we are reluctant to admit, not-so-children, know the dangers that social networks involve. And of course, nobody better than us to teach them to mature. Demand them to behave in a grown-up way yet lead them by example!

Today in La Piazza we present a quick 10-question post for parents to test how safe their teens are online. So, if you are a parent, sit down with your kid and before he/she answers the questions, explain to him/her that this exercise is to be done jointly. The purpose is for both of you to know if he or she is safe when using the Internet and to improve security measures if necessary.

Do stress that, although he/she may not be aware of it, the Internet entails serious dangers such as fraud, sexual harassment, bullying, etc. Do not alarm him but speak firmly. The reason why most teenagers don’t take enough precautions is because they are either misinformed or disinformed.

Finally, ask him/her to be honest about it. The whole point of answering the questions is not for your teen to get a grilling but actually for you as a parent to learn how to protect your most precious treasure: your child.

Because the Internet is just another road you have to teach your children how to cross. And this is a road they love to cross. Plus, they do so every day.

Instructions

Ready? Here go the questions. Ask your kid to write down the answers on a piece of paper. Once the test is completed, add up the points per answer (check section Score points) and finally, check the Results section to see how safe, risky or dangerous your kid’s online practices are.

1. Does your screen name identify you as a boy or a girl?
2. Have you ever posted any personal information of yours or anyone else without explicit consent?
3. Have you ever uploaded your picture or family or friends without your parent’s consent?
4. Have you ever filled out online forms, questionnaires, profile pages without your parent’s consent?
5. Have you ever purchased anything online without permission?
6. Have you ever shared your passwords with someone other than your parents?
7. Have you ever downloaded and installed software without your parent’s knowledge?
8. Have you opened emails from total strangers?
9. Have you ever agreed to meet in person someone you have only met online?
10. Have you ever been involved in chat sessions with people using vulgar expressions or sexually explicit language?

How to calculate your scores

• Add 1 point if you answered YES to questions 1, 2, 3 and 6
• Add 2 points if you answered YES to questions 5 and 7
• Add 3 points if you answered YES to question 4
• Add 5 points if you answered YES to questions 8, 9 and 10

Results

If you scored… 0-2 points

You are SAFE!

Well done!!! You are cautious when you go online to chat with your friends because you are well aware of the dangers the Internet entails. Your passwords are usually strong, mixing alphanumerical characters, you never share them with anyone and you certainly think twice before you download applications. You never, ever chat to strangers and your online friends are not only acquaintances but people you know well. And you frequently talk to your parents about your online habits.

Our advise: Keep it up and teach your fellow students and friends how they can also improve their online experience.

If you scored… 3-4 points

You are at RISK!

OK, you would never meet anyone you don’t know online and you would never share information with strangers. However, you have uploaded pictures of friends or members of your family and have not told them, you don’t think downloading cool apps is dangerous and have done so occasionally. If you get a friend request from someone you don’t know, you do tell your parents.

Our advise: There is certainly room for improvement in the online safety department. You are aware certain security measures have to be taken when going online but you are still dangerously chancing it!  So, overall, you need to make sure you don’t share any personal information at all. Also, choose strong passwords and review your online practises with your parents. Afterwards, do take the test again.

If you scored… 5-26 points

You are in REAL DANGER!!!!

Your online profiles describe you so well that you have included your postal address and school you go to, plus all kinds of pictures of you and your friends, family, pets, etc. You use the Internet pretty much for everything, to download all kinds of applications, meet people online, chat, etc. You are an extrovert and have accepted friend requests from people you don’t even know because you think if he is one of your friend’s friends, it is OK. Sometimes you have chatted with people who used “bad words” but never told your parents because they will probably worry too much.

Our advise: You must RADICALLY change the way you use the Internet. First of all, sit down with your parents and review the personal information you share with others. Also, remove any strangers from your friends lists. Should you ever encounter strangers online, do speak to your parents about it. Change your passwords and choose strong, alphanumerical ones. Finally, take the test again until you get the lowest score (0-2 points – Safe).

This morning, after I started up the PC, I was confronted with the following full-screen window covering the entire desktop:

Without paying much attention to it I instinctively pressed ESC and other key combinations like ALT+F4 to try and close it, but the message had locked the computer rendering it effectively unusable.

The message pretends to come from Spain’s local authorities and claims illegal activity has been detected on my computer. More specifically, the message claims that forbidden websites containing pornography have been visited from my IP address and demands a fine is paid to let me back in. The text, loosely translated, reads:

“Illegal activity has been detected on your computer. According to Spanish law your computer is locked. Forbidden websites containing pornography, child pornography, bestiality, etc. were visited from this IP address. This locking serves to stop your illegal activity.”

This is actually a new variant of the infamous Police Virus called Trj/Ransom.ab, which belongs to a malware category called ransomware. The aim of the people spreading this malware is to intimidate and blackmail users whose PCs are infected and persuade them to pay for having the malware removed. The scam is similar to that of rogueware or fake antivirus software, which we have covered in post The nightmare of fake antivirus continue. Protect yourself with Panda, only this time the perpetrator tries to pass themselves off as a law enforcement agency instead of as an antivirus vendor.  Well,  here are the Instructions to remove the Police Virus Trj/Ransom.ab.

Finally, we’d like to remind you of these simple tips that will help you protect yourselves from this type of malware.

1. Use your common sense. No governmental organization can block access to your computer. Under no circumstance pay the so-called ‘fine’.
2. Install a good antivirus. Check out our recommendations in the following post: Protect your banking data with Panda Security’s new 2012 products. Protect your computer at all times and avoid nasty surprises.
3. Keep your operating system up-to-date with the latest security patches.
4. Never open an email from an unfamiliar sender. Beware of messages with eye-catching subject lines, they are more likely to carry a virus.
5. Avoid surfing to non-secure Web pages. In some cases, it is enough to visit a compromised website to get infected without knowing. If, however, you need to access a dubious website, do so from a malware-free environment like that offered by Panda SafeBrowser.

Stay safe!

It is really worrying, and despite the fact that the information refers to Mexico, in today’s globalized world I am pretty sure that the same can be said about almost any technologically advanced country. Here are some of those shocking facts:

1. One in three teens (ages 12-18) says they have posted photos of themselves in “provocative poses” on the Internet.
2. In Mexico, there are some 10 million regular Internet users between those ages, so the number of teenagers who have posted “sexy pictures” of themselves amounts to 3.6 million (36 percent).
3. Of those, 45 percent have their computer in their room and 30 percent post personal data such as their address, phone number, school name and family photos; Additionally, 43 percent of those young people do not consider it dangerous to go out on a date with someone they met online.

Wait a second… 43 percent of kids do not consider it dangerous to go out on a date with someone they met online? 43 out of every 100 children think it is normal?

Well, this data is the result of a study conducted by a Federal Institute, so there is no reason to doubt the veracity of the information. Having said that, I think it is time to ask ourselves: What are we doing wrong for kids still not to perceive how extremely dangerous that behavior is? Why are they not capable of understanding that the Internet is like a big city, with cinemas, theaters, shops, libraries, etc. but also dangerous areas, criminals and people with bad intentions?

Many schools encourage kids to be aware of the dangers online and work on educational projects where the kids themselves can come up with security tips . We think this is the way to go, so, as a reminder, here goes a collection of general tips.

What advice would you give someone your age (13 to 15 years old) to use the Internet safely?

1. Be careful with what pictures you post and never upload compromising pictures of yourself.
2. Cover up your webcam. You never know who is on the other side.
3. Contact an adult if you run into trouble.
4. Use strong passwords, protect them and change them from time to time.
5. Be wary of the strangers you meet on the Internet. Be careful about adding unknown people  to your contacts list.

Finally, I’d like to recommend a website to visit with your children: Cybersmart, an portal created by the Australian government to raise awareness amongst teenagers to understand the need to protect their data on the Internet in simple and entertaining ways.

Journalists, politicians, singers, writers, actors and actresses, more and more people from all sections of society join Twitter to share their life with the rest of the world. Some write directly what comes into their head, without help or supervision of an expert in social media.

Are they really aware that, due to the nature of the Twitter network, they are taking major risks? The most notorious one: being wrong … publicly. Being famous, your reputation is at stake. It’s like when a politician is betrayed by a microphone taping “off-the-record” conversations. On Twitter, what you say, how you say it and when you say it, matters. The image of these personalities can get easily damaged to a greater or lesser extent.

The reasons are varied. From blatant typos, lack of general knowledge, unfortunate expressions to, in the worst case scenario, incendiary and offensive tweets to the community.

Let’s take a look at a few curious examples:

• Lautaro, the younger brother of Gonzalo Higuain, Real Madrid player, recently wrote a strong message against Jose Mourinho in the social network. Soon afterwards, the message was deleted, but by then, it was too late. This is what happened: A day before the second leg match between Barcelona and Real Madrid, when his girlfriend asked him on Twitter about the possible departure of Mourinho from Real Madrid, he replied: “It’s the best thing he could do because he is a son of a .. and a chicken who does not know how to outplay Barca (or words to that effect). Oh, don’t bother looking for Lautaro’s Twitter account because it no longer exists.
• Alejandro Sanz certainly writes (or used to write) his tweets himself. His blatant spelling mistakes prove this point. As a result of the harsh criticism he received after a particularly infamous typo, the artist quit the social network. Later on, he reflected on it and justified the mistake on the grounds that his finger had played a trick on the computer keyboard. Whatever. Thanks Alejandro for returning to the network. These lapses generate TT which are pricelessly hilarious!
• But the issue could  get embarrassingly serious. How about what happened to the actor who first got 1 million followers on Twitter? We are speaking about Ashton Kutcher. Months ago, he posted a tweet endorsing the late Jo Paterno, Pennsylvania State University’s American football  coach condemning his firing. Almost immediately, he was inundated with a flood of angry replies. Why? Because the reason behind the sacking had to do with Paterno’s involvement with child abuse. He later deleted the tweet and apologized, but by then the comment had been retweeted so many times, the damage had been done.
• But, of today’s and probably most recent Twitter faux-pas, on a scale of 1 to 10, the case reported by the prestigious paper The New York Times gets a 10.
  Just imagine the scene: The Superbowl. Advertising on a giant digital, mega-cool screen with stars like Madonna performing or David Beckham’s ad for H&M underwear on full display. A rate of 10,000 tweets per second during the last three minutes of the game.
  Roland Martin, journalist of the CNN, issues the following tweet during the event: “If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him! #superbowl.”
  The reactions of gay rights groups were immediate. So much so that in the end, even after Mr. Martin and CNN issued the pertinent apologies, we can say that the tweet has cost him the job.

Perhaps this is the downside of free expression in the social networks, where everything is under the watchful gaze of thousands of Twitter users who forgive but don’t forget.

In my opinion, spelling errors are revealing yet excusable, especially because the perpetrator, surely out of ignorance, is not even aware that he is making a mistake. Just a consequence of his sheer lack of attention during spelling and language classes at school.

Something of a different nature is when people from a certain position of influence, say journalists or politicians, express hurtful and offensive thoughts. Therefore, this is my recommendation: Think before you tweet.

Now, to which point should you constrain your natural thoughts? Where is the limit of freedom of speech?

What do you think? We invite you to send us your comments, but remember, if we deem them offensive, they will not see the light That is the advantage of having a moderated blog. Without acrimony.

A couple of years ago we explained how Technical Support had evolved and adapted to the web 2.0 trends. The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications which facilitate interactive exchange of information, data sharing, and collaboration on the world wide web. It is thought to have been coined after a conference held by O´Reilly Media in 2004. The web 2.0 philosophy promotes web-based communities, hosted services, web applications, social-networking sites, video-sharing sites, wikis, blogs, not to mention social networks aimed at various sociological profiles.

Companies are more and more implementing community knowledge bases enabling users to solve product and customer service issues on their own. In Panda Security, we are particularly sensitive to this issue and have deviced additional means of Support such as forums, multimedia tutorials, blogs, etc. Check out the Homeusers Support website for proof! The Panda Security International Technical Support Forum for example, enables not only moderators, but users to directly help one another.

These new sources improve the quality of support as massive feedback is obtained directly from the users themselves. Community knowledge bases create smarter, more informed customers and users. Content can be authored by both internal and external resources providing a rich source of information relating to the company’s products and services. What´s more, collaboration is a key issue: It improves decision-making, and enables knowledge workers to meet mission objectives with the best information available. However, for an average user, technology in this regard may have already gone too far, and the user finds himself not really prepared to face the trend in technology, some users even questioning the validity of all these tools.

So, before web 3.0, the natural evolution of web 2.0, spreads, let´s test how web 2.0 you are!!  Simply fill in this quiz on social media and web 2.0 by Quizible and check how many of the 32 icons you recognize!!

Which form of interactive 2.0 means do you prefer? Blogs? Forums?Social networks?

6.45 AM The alarm clock of my BB goes off. As every day, I turn it off, I stretch and as soon as I am able to open my eyes I look to check what’s new. Mhhhh! The App World icon tells me that there are 4 new updates. A new version of Foursquare, WhatsApp, Twitter and of BBM. What is special about these versions? Well, as far as I know, nothing much, but experience tells me that either I update them, or I will be bombarded by those annoying messages informing of the availability of a new version. So much to my regret, I start the update process. Of course, as usual, during the first update the BB freezes and there is no other way to revive it but by removing the battery. Once rebooted, I choose to live with the new version messages and before I starve to death, I decide to go get breakfast.

9.00 AM I arrive at the office. As I start my computer, I fetch some water, turn on the heater, check my agenda …, but just as I prepare to open my Outlook, an update message informing me that Acrobat Reader update is available appears on my screen. The truth is I do not know how many updates Acrobat releases, but my perception is that there is at least, one a week … So after the BB experience a while ago, I choose to upgrade later. I do not feel like it now. I am rebellious. But what is this new shield like icon at the bottom right of my screen? Should I click it?, it won’t be yet another update, will it? … Well, quite right, ladies and gentlemen, on this occasion it is Microsoft kindly letting me know of the availability of new automatic updates. This is wearing me out, really..

17.00 PM It has been days since I last synchronized my iPad. I will do it now that I seem to be a little calmer. I open iTunes, connect the USB, and what is the first thing I see on the screen? Bingo! A new version of iTunes available. Well, I do NOT want it, thank you very much!, Very kind of you! Enough is enough, what a day … And now whaaaat?, another screenshot?, This is not happening, arggggghhhhh !!!!! Now, this time, very politely, and totally free, I am offered a new version of the iPad software … I am not exaggerating one iota.

I give up, I throw in the towel. I cannot put up with it anymore … Let them do whatever they want. Go ahead, update the software! Do so daily if you wish! But please, I do not want to know about it. Do it silently. Do not ask for my permission. At the end of the day, if only at their persistence, they always win…

The moral of my post is the following: If today I had accepted all the kind offers of available updates for my gadgets, I would have upgraded 3 different machines, 7 software programs and an Operating System. There! Not to mention the 52 updates that according to the App Store are available …

Don’t you think that something that is very positive in theory, is becoming a torture and a nightmare for users? What do you think?

It is clear that the number of applications for smartphones and tablets is almost infinite. There is pretty much an application for everything, and it is fair to say that some of the apps are that divine that they even try to simplify the difficult task of being a parent, helping us find and organize fun activities to keep our children entertained. Plus, many of them are also FREE, so what more could you ask for?

If we focus on the upbringing and education of our children, we also find countless options. There are applications that advise you on what you should and should not do from the moment you know you’re pregnant. Others help you find the name of your baby. Others suggest how to organize a birthday party for the youngest lot. Other apps can tell you where to find parks with swings. Other applications can even help you find your kids if you lose them in a mall before you even have the time to get hysterical. Other apps will suggest physical activities to strengthen their still feeble musculature. Other, other, other …. I could spend hours listing applications for parents and there would still be hundreds, thousands, millions to be discovered.

And, of course, among all these fancy stuff, there are also applications which are most questionable. For example, Tymoot. Pronounced like Time Out, it refers to those moments where your children are sent to their room “to reflect” about the latest deed committed. It is therefore an application that will help us manage the punishments to impose on our children. It is advertised as the “ultimate mobile discipline tool”, which actually sounds quite funny …

The way it works is simple. Enter the birthdates of your children and the app will give you the suggested duration of the punishment in accordance with the children’s age. A priori, this task should not be that complicated for us, as parents and as inexperienced Internet users, as to need a specific application. Everyone knows that the ideal is one minute for each year of the child. But the best is yet to come!

The section entitled “Wheel of Discipline” is advertised as “horrible and terrifying” and it does sound like a sort of medieval torture. It actually does not go that far. It is simply a wheel where punishments of the most varied type are drawn. For example, forcing one child to be present when his/her brother is given preferential treatment or make the child wear clothing of the opposite sex if the child has shown sexist behaviour …

It’s okay for parents to need support. Clearly the world has become so complex that we are extremely vulnerable, but this should not lead to anyone taking advantage of our weaknesses, our lack of time and our inexperience to sell nonsense that will distract us from our real obligations.

Do you feel too burdened by useless applications?, Do you dare to make your own ranking of silly applications? To break the ice, I will start:

Birth Buddy: a woman who is going to give birth is supposed to enter the frequency and duration of contractions …