Transcript Internet Safety

ST. RITA CATHOLIC CHURCH
MARCH 21, 2006
INTERNET SAFETY
RULES ‘N TOOLS™
Prepared by Donna Rice Hughes
(Presentation copyrighted)
Overview
 Internet
Dangers (vs. Benefits)
 Children’s Access to Pornography
 Cyber-Sex & Addiction
 Pedophiles’ Access to Children
 Preventative Solutions & Rules N’
Tools
 Spiritual
Solutions
SPIRITUAL BATTLE

Our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against rulers, powers, forces
of darkness & spiritual forces of
wickedness.Take up the full armor of
God to resist in the evil day and having
done everything to STAND FIRM.
(Ephesians 6:1-19)
Spiritual Battle
“The thief does not come except to
steal, kill and destroy, I have come that
they may have life, and that they may
have it more abundantly.”
Jesus, John 10:10

PORNEIA
(Symbolic of Idolatry,
)
Word Study
To commit any sexual sin
 Root word for pornography, harlot,
prostitute, fornicator, whoremonger
 “Pornography” is the graphic depiction
of sexual immorality
 Idolatry - worship of body and body
parts (Romans 1:21-2:1)

Internet Dangers
(A tool used for good or evil)
1. Free and easy access to inappropriate and
illegal content with unrestricted Net access:
- Pornography (child porn, obscenity, harmful to
minors)
- Violence
- Bomb-making
- Hate speech
2. Predators have easy and anonymous access to
unsuspecting kids
The “Adult” Internet Industry

$12 billion dollars in annual revenue –
larger than the combined annual
revenues of ABC, NBC, and CBS
(Family Safe
Media, Jan. 2006)

By the end of 2004, 420 million pages
of pornography owned by less than 50
companies (Summit on Pornography, 5/19/05).
Deceptive Tactics

74% of adult commercial sites display free
teaser pornography images on homepage,
often banner ads

25% prevented users from exiting site
(Mousetrapping)

Only 3% required adult verification
(Child-proofing on the World wide Web: A Survey of Adult Webservers,2001, Jurimetrics.
NRC Report 2002)
Unintentional Access
• Misspelled Words
• Innocent Searches (toys, boys, pets, etc.)
• Stealth Sites- (whitehouse; watersports)
• Brand Name Misuse (Disney, Nintendo,
Barbie, Levis, etc.)
Youth and Internet
Pornography

Adult industry says traffic is 20-30% children
(NRC Report 2002)

More than 11 million teens regularly view
porn online ( The Washington Post, July 1, 2004).

87% of college students have virtual sex
using IM, webcam, and telephone (Canadian poll,
www.campuskiss.com, 2006)
Easy and Free Access

9 in 10 kids ages 8-16 yrs have viewed pornography
online, mostly unintentionally, and when using the
Internet to do homework (UK:News Telegraph, NOP Research Group,
1/17/02)

In 26% of cases where youth accidentally stumbled
into pornographic websites, the youth stated being
exposed to another sex website when they were
attempting to exit the initial website ( “The Exposure of Youth to
Unwanted Sexual Material on the Internet: A National Survey of Risk, Impact, and
Prevention,” 2003).
Online Obscenity

Girls.com vs. Gurls.com

Watersports.com
– Pornography depicting bodily functions
– Live video
CYBER-SEX COMPULSIONS
“CRACK COCAINE”

71.9 million people visited adult sites in August 2005,
reaching 42.7 % of the Internet audience (Media Metrix).

More than 32 million unique individuals visited a porn
site in Sept. of 2003. Nearly 22.8 million of them
were male (71 %), while 9.4 million adult site visitors
were female (29 %) (Nielsen/Net Ratings, Sept 2003).
Demographics

41% of women said they had deliberately
viewed or downloaded pornographic pictures
and movies (Pornified: 2005).

51% of pastors say cyberporn is a possible
temptation. 37% say it is a current struggle
(Christianity Today, Leadership Survey, December 2001).
Harms
* Affects attitudes, choices and behavior
* Demeans children, women, and men
* Counterfeit for love, intimacy, and
commitment
* Drug of choice - anesthetizes pain
Harms to Youth
(Kids Online: Protecting Your Children In Cyberspace, Donna Rice Hughes)
Interferes with a child’s development
and identity
 Shapes attitudes and values
 Promotes desensitization
 Images never erased
 May incite children to act out sexually
against other children

Harms (cont.)

Incidents of young children displaying
sexually aggressive behavior has
increased, exposure to online porn is a
key factor (Australian study, 11/2003)
Stages of Addiction
Dr. Victor Cline, University of Utah:
1. Addiction - The need to keep coming back for
more (drug of choice)
2. Escalation - The need for more explicit, rougher
and more deviant images for same effect
3. Desensitization - Material once shocking or
taboo is acceptable
4. Acting out - Tendency to sexually act-out
behaviors depicted in pornography (public safety
issue)
Child Pornography

More than half of all illegal sites are hosted in the
U.S. (National Criminal Intelligence Service, 8/21/03).

Approximately 20% of all Internet pornography
involves children (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children,
2003).

More than 20,000 images of child porn posted on the
Internet every week (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Children, 10/8/03)

More babies and toddlers are appearing on the net,
the abuse is getting worse (Combating Peadophile Information Networks,
3/03)
New Trend – Teens and
Child Porn Use

Young people aged 15 to 20 were the single
biggest demographic group, accounting for
one-quarter of all child porn users tracked
and caught by investigators. One-third of the
185 criminals gave their occupations as
students, of which 60 percent were studying
at tertiary level (New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs.
Internet Traders of Child Pornography: Profiling Research, October 2005).
(Based on a report involving 202 sexual offenders)
Child Porn and the Predator

40% of arrested child pornography possessors had
both sexually victimized children and were in
possession of child pornography (NCMEC June 2005).

Of those arrested in the U.S. for the possession of
child pornography between 2000 and 2001, 83% had
images involving children between ages 6 and 12;
39% had images involving children between ages 3
and 5; and 19% had images of infants and toddlers
under age 3
(National Center for Missing & Exploited Children., 2005).
Predators Online
• Pedophiles’ & Predators’ Anonymous Access to Youth
• Easy Access to Child Pornography
• Virtual Validation
• Trade Secrets & Teaching Tools
• Avoidance of Law Enforcement Detection
Online Victimization: A Report
on the Nation’s Youth

1 in 5 received sexual solicitation or
approach in last year (Sample of 1,501 youth ages 10-17
who use Internet regularly)

50,000 predators online at any given
time. (Dateline, NBC, 2005)
Juvenile Perpetrators

Juveniles
– 48% of overall solicitations
– 48% of aggressive solicitations

Adult solicitors– Most of the “adult” solicitors were ages 18-25
– 24% of solicitations
– 34% of aggressive solicitations
TOOL OF TODAY’S
PEDOPHILE (Chat, IM, Blogs)
• 89% of sexual solicitations were made in either
Chat rooms or Instant Messages (Pew Study reported in
JAMA, 2001)
• “30% of teenage girls polled by the Girl Scout
Research Institute said they had been sexually
harassed in a chatroom. Only 7%, however, told
their mothers or fathers about the harassment
because they were worried that their parents
would ban them from going online” (Girl Scout Research
Institute, 2002).
Youth Ignorance Factor

Children ages 7-17 who surf the net, if asked
online:
- 29% would freely give out home address
- 14% would freely give email address
(Telegraph.co.uk. 1/02).

65% of all parents and 64% of all teens say
that teens do things online that they wouldn’t
want their parents to know about (Pew Internet &
American Life Project, 12/12/05).
Parent’s Ignorance Factor

“86% of the girls polled said they could chat online
without their parents’ knowledge, 57% could read
their parents’ e-mail, and 54% could conduct a cyber
relationship” (Girl Scout Research Institute, 2002).

Teenagers use chat lingo to communicate when
Instant Messaging and parents don’t know the
meanings of some of the most commonly used
phrases. 57% don’t know LOL (laughing out loud),
68% don’t know BRB (be right back), and 92% don’t
know A/S/L (age/sex/location) (NCMEC, 12/14/05).
Using Internet Technology…..
How hard is it for a predator to
target a child?
Luring starts with target identification and
selection
I am intrigued by Amanda...
Most online or Internet service providers provide user
directories to assist their members identify others with
similar interests. In our nefarious but capable hands...
we continue the search for Amanda by checking her
Member Profile.
We type in her chatroom name...
Using the locate command, I can follow Amanda wherever
she goes in Cyberspace.
I can also email or instant message her by using the email
command.
After 2 minutes we have
determined that Amanda is:
most likely a female child
 likes seashells, rollerblading and English
class
 has a little brother that most likely
answers to Billy, Junior or J.R. and
 her valid email address

Using Deja News or
AltaVista we can check
for more information
by searching
newsgroup postings
Using the Power
Search option we
continue the inquiry
Using Amanda’s
email address, I
search for any of her
newsgroup postings.
I now know how many
messages Amanda has
posted; when and where
the messages were
posted, and the text of
each message.
Newsgroups are electronic bulletin boards
Within 12 minutes I know:

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
Amanda is her first
name
She is a young girl
who likes beanie
babies, rollerblading,
and English class
Has a baby brother
named Billy Jr.

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
Has a Mom or sister
named Sue
A good idea when
she’s at home
She lives on the East
Coast
Her home telephone
number
There are many online services that
What can I find out about her from
allow for searches using as little as one
the
telephone number?
variable.
I bet this Amanda’s last
name...
Good news. Most of these services
will allow you to change or
eliminate your personal data from
the directories.
What can I find out using Amanda’s last name?
using her last name.
I bet I can find out where she lives...
With each additional piece of
information, I can perform additional
searches.
I found her.
I’m not familiar with
Laurel. Let’s see if I get
some better location
information.
One click, I’m there.
Voila. I can even get closer.
But how do I get there from
Chicago?
I wonder where she goes to
school?
If the school posts student pictures
on its web page, I could even get
Amanda’s picture.
Within 45 minutes I learned:
• target is a female child
• whose full name is Amanda Welch
• the email address is [email protected]
• she likes seashells, rollerblading and English class
• has a baby brother named Billy
• collects or trades beanie babies
• full names of her mother, father, and brother
• her home telephone number is 410-745-8454
• she’s probably home by 5:30 weekdays
• or Mom arrives home from work then
• She lives at 618 Hammerstone Drive in Laurel, Maryland
• specific directions to her home
• what public schools are nearest to the her home
MySpace.com
(facebook.com, xenga.com)

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A blog – short for web log
42 million members
Dishonesty
Inadvertent exposure
Threats and fear
Confessional
Innocence destroyed
Age 14 and up
MySpace Cases

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14-year-old Judy Cajuste found strangled and naked
in Newark, NJ garbage bin. (Jan 2006)
16-year-old girl was attacked by a 37-year-old man
who read her profile on MySpace.com and tracked
her down at her after-school job (Jan 2006)
17-year-old college freshman was murdered by man
who found her info. at MySpace.com (Sept 2005)
33-year-old Hughson, CA firefighter was arrested for
having sex with a 16-year-old boy he met on
MySpace.com (March 2005)
Prevention:
Three-Prong Solution
• Shared responsibility between the
1. Public (Parents, Schools, Libraries)
2. Technology Industry
3. Legal Community - Law Enforcement & Public
Policy
4. Faith-based Initiative
• Each provides an essential layer of protection
Public Prong
Role of Parents, Teachers, and Librarians
- Awareness, education and empowerment
-Rules N’ Tools
Both are essential, one without the other is
ineffective
Technology Tools

Desktop solutions
– Filtering (set filtering levels)
– Monitoring- software and/or checking cache

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

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Server-based filtering
“Go lists/Suggest lists” (Internet Kids & Family
Yellow Pages)
White lists - Pre-approved sites –The Children’s
Internet
Safe Search Engines
Filtering solutions are not 100% effective
Legal Prong
Government and Law Enforcement
• Aggressive enforcement of current laws (child
pornography, obscenity, child stalking laws)
•The public should not have to shoulder the burden
of protecting against illegal content and criminal
activity
Legislation in the Courts
– Child Online Protection Act (COPA) verification required - ACLU, ALA challenge-enjoined.
Adult
– Child Pornography Protection Act -
Extend law
to include computer-generated child porn. Supreme Ct struck
down.
– Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA) -
Requires
schools & libraries to filter - ACLU & ALA challenge (March 2003).

New Laws and Rulemaking: Spam, Deceptive
Marketing Tactics, Mousetrapping
Rules ‘N Tools
Go over Rules N” Tools handout
 Rules N’ Tools – Parents Pledge
 Rules N’ Tools – Parent Buddy Check
 Youth Internet Safety Contract

Ages 4-7
If child is introduced to Internet, be
present at all times
 You and your child should have the
same e-mail address
 Use a restricted white list

Ages 8-11 (age of likely child
sex abuse victims)

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Most restrictive Internet filter (no chat)
Get to know your child’s online activities and
friends
Teach them not to interact with people they do not
know offline
Discuss anonymous behavior
Discuss how they feel if you discover they’ve been
sexually exploited
Keep lines of communication open
No chatrooms, no IMs
Ages 12-14
Set filters accordingly (categories- sex,
nudity, violence, drugs, etc)
 Limit time online
 Approve buddy list and explain
 Disallow chatrooms and explain
 No online profiles
 No blogging sites

Ages 15-18
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Stay on top of your teens online activities
Continue filtering
Do periodic spot checks/possible monitoring if you
suspect dangers
Discuss healthy sexuality vs. porn messages
Learn about your child’s friends’ online activities
Prepare them for college where they will have no
Internet guidelines
I recommend that you limit IM and block chat
Carefully monitor blogging sites
Open and Honest
Communication

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Have you ever seen pictures on the Internet
that make you uncomfortable?
Has anyone online ever said to you that made
you feel uncomfortable?
Have you been contacted by someone you
don’t know in person?
Has anyone asked you for personal
information?
Has anyone asked to meet you in person?
A guide to parents:
How to surf MySpace

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The best resolution is simply for a youth not to
establish a personal blog
MySpace private – allows members to control others’
access to their profiles
Let teens read of the dangers of MySpace and similar
websites for themselves since teens can be skeptical
of parental advice
Here's some advice for new browsers.
1. Become a member
2. Once logged on, click on the link "search." MySpace
gives members several options for searching.
3. To find your child, search using his or her e-mail
address.
A guide to parents:
How to surf MySpace (continued)
5. If that fails, search using the "Classmate Finder"
option. Type in school's name and state, and then
click on the school name. MySpace then allows you
to "refine your school search." Options include
searching for current students or alumni. Make sure,
when adjusting the "between ages" criteria, to have
generous search criteria. Many high school students
inflate their age, saying they are 21 when they are
actually 16 (or younger).
6.Scroll down, and you'll see thumbnail pictures of
MySpace profiles. Click on the picture, and you'll be
taken to the teen's MySpace.
MySpace.com (cont.)
7.Not every teen links to his high school. But if you get
onto the MySpace of one student, chances are
they've linked to other students at the school. You
can find these by clicking on the link "View all
friends."
8. Once on a person's MySpace, an interesting place to
look at is the "view more pics" link, which is right
under the photo on the left side of the screen. This is
where members post photos, and other members
comment on them.
Warning Signs
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Hiding disks
Too much time online or online late at night
Picture files taking up a lot of storage space
on computer
Unusually sexually curious or active sexually
for their age
Unusual charges on your credit card
Computer screen quickly changes when
parent walks in room
Youth becomes very secretive or defensive
Recommendations if your child
has been sexually-exploited
Believe your child
 Commend your child for telling you
 Convey your support for your child
 If your child feels guilty or at fault, try
to alleviate self blame
 Temper your own reaction - try to be
calm and reassuring
 EIE Resource List (protectkids.com)

…Recommendations

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Report suspected illegal activity to local
police and to cybertipline
(800-843-5673)
Locate specialized agency or professional
to help your child and family
If your child has been physically abused,
locate physician with experience in
evaluation
“Recovering Hearts”
Faith-based initiative

Equip Church to help those who are sexually
broken through healing, deliverance and
restoration
Confession, Repentance, Accountability
“If my people, who are called by my name, will
humble themselves and pray and seek my
face and turn from their wicked ways, then
will I hear from heaven and will forgive their
sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Come Into the Light of God’s
Unconditional Love

“Let he who is without sin cast the first
stone.” Jesus

Allow those who are sexually broken to
come into the light w/out fear of
judgment, shame or public disgrace

Victory is in the shed blood of Jesus
THE GOOD NEWS
Preach gospel to poor
 Heal the broken-hearted
 Preach deliverance to the captives
 Recovery of sight to the blind
 Set at liberty them that are bruised
--Jesus, Luke 4:18

Resources
www.enough.org (Enough Is Enough is
a national non-profit whose mission is
to make the Internet safer for children
and families)
 www.protectkids.com
 Sexual Brokeness Resource List
 Kids Online: Protecting Your Children in
Cyberspace

Follow-Up
EIE follow-up
 Complete Survey
