Archive for November, 2009
CitizenPip Waste Free Lunch Kits (Giveaway!)
Friday, November 27th, 2009 It is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to a company I just recently learned about, CitizenPip. CitizenPip specializes in waste-free lunch supplies that are safe for you and the kids. I know what you’re thinking, “Not another reusable lunch box“. Ok yes but I really adore so many things about this product that I [...] Related posts:- CitizenPip Charity Donation Winners: Help Us Choose
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BPA Free Thanksgiving?
Monday, November 23rd, 2009 Since all this started I’ve been trying desperately to come up with alternatives to the old family favorites that require a can of this or that. So here’s a few solutions I’ve come up with that replace those cans that plague our meals with BPA. No one wants hormone disruption with their dinner do they? [...] Related posts:- Red Velvet Cake without the FD&C Red Dye #40
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Avoiding social networking scams
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009by Larry Magid
This post originally appeared in the San Jose Mercury News
More and more people are using social networking sites, including, sadly, criminals seeking to take advantage of the rest of us.
Threats on those sites include applications and quizzes, as well as malware, worms and viruses. But the main risk, says Trend Micro’s Rick Ferguson, is information you post yourself that can jeopardize your privacy and your security.
Ferguson says that “we have a tendency on social networks to share more information that we need to.” While you may need to reveal which schools you went to and where you worked to connect with old school mates or colleagues, “you don’t need to share your date of birth, phone number and address,” Ferguson said.
The threats are not limited to Facebook or MySpace. Ferguson also warns users not to be lulled into a false sense of security when using professional networks like LinkedIn. “Because it’s a professional networking site, people give it more credibility and think it’s safer than other networks,” he said, adding that you put yourself at risk by “posting your entire résumé and exposing your business connections.”
Both Ferguson and Symantec safety education director Marian Merritt warn about online quizzes and applications that are popular on social networking sites.
“Every time you accept an application, you’re giving some third-party developer access to information in your profile,” Merritt said.
She warns that “quizzes are sometimes attached to fraudulent marketing companies.” She said her own teenage daughter took an IQ quiz and had to put in her cell phone number to get her score.
“She didn’t notice that the terms of service would sign her up for premium texting until the bill came.” Fortunately, this particular teenage girl has one of the most cyber-security-conscious moms on the planet, who convinced the carrier to stop the charges.
Some quizzes and surveys reveal far too much information. I recently came across a third-party survey that asks users to reveal “60 Things You Didn’t Know About Me” with such questions such as “What are you wearing?” “When was the last time you were drunk?” and “How often do you have sex?” With answers to questions like these on your profile, it doesn’t take a sophisticated hacker to derive information that he shouldn’t have access to.
Some Facebook users don’t seem to be aware of the difference between private messages and wall postings. I have a friend who is posting personal messages to family members’ walls, unaware that those messages are seen by all of the person’s Facebook friends.
Ferguson says to beware of applications that don’t seem to have any purpose other than to spread themselves. Some of these applications automatically send notices to all your friends, telling them that you’re using the applications and encouraging others to install them as well. In addition to spamming your friends, these applications could be gaining access to your profile information and displaying unwanted advertising to all who sign up.
Company spokesperson Simon Axten said Facebook has a team of people and software tools working to enforce rules for application developers. MySpace, according to a spokesperson, also employs a robust security team and tools, including software to block outgoing and incoming spam and warn users about potential phishing sites.
Facebook’s application development process, said Axten, “is relatively open to stimulate innovation and allow people to develop quickly.” But he said developers must agree to a set of rules which, among other things, prohibit them from sending messages on the users’ behalf.
Developers are now required to disclose what information they collect during the installation process, and Axten recommends that users “pay attention to those notices.” He said developers are allowed to collect only the information that they need to run the application, but that can sometimes include profile information and the profiles of your friends.
On all sites, be cautious about clicking on any links, especially those shortened ones that are commonly used on Twitter. If a link is shortened by bit.ly or tinyurl, you have no idea where it will lead you until after you click. Most security suites can warn you before your browser opens potentially dangerous Web sites.
There are other threats, including the Koobface worm, that can steal your password and send spam from your account. Most Internet security programs will protect you against this and other malware.
Users should also be careful about links that appear in posts and messages that could lead to phishing or malware sites. And put on your thinking cap before responding to a friend’s plea for money, even if it comes from your friend’s Facebook account and includes a horrendous story such as being stuck in an overseas jail. Try to reach your friend some other way before responding, because it’s likely a scam.
Disclosure: I am co-director of the nonprofit Internet safety organization, ConnectSafely.org, which receives support from Facebook, MySpace and other social networking companies.
Review: Britax Chaperone Travel System
Friday, November 20th, 2009 We were given the unique opportunity to product test Britax’s new Chaperone Travel System. After spending a few months with it, we are happy to report many positive things about its performance and think it’s an excellent choice of travel systems on the market right now. I’ll start with the infant carriers features. The Chaperone [...] Related posts:- Review: The New Britax Advocate CS
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Review: Sprout Organic Baby Food
Thursday, November 19th, 2009 Now that the days of baby food are here in my house once again, I’ve been on the hunt for all of the “homemade” types of baby food. Now, I’ll confess my snobbery here, for giving my baby only homemade of my own, but I’ll also confess that the second child really does get [...] Related posts:- Baby Cubes: BPA & Phthalates Free Food Storage for Baby
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Google adds lock to SafeSearch
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009Google has long allowed parents a SafeSearch filtering setting that keeps kids from using the search engine to find inappropriate sites like those with explicit sexual images or text.
The problem was that kids could easily change those settings.
Starting Wednesday, however, the company is allowing parents to lock those settings to make it harder (though not impossible) for kids to bypass the settings.
To change the settings, the parent will have to log into his or her Google account and enter a password. Once the settings have been changed, the Google search engine will change in appearance to indicate that it’s locked. The new page will have large balls in the upper right corner so that parents can see from across the room that their kids are on the safe search page.
The settings, which places a cookie on the machine, must be configured for each browser the child uses. If you set them only for Internet Explorer, for example, they won’t restrict access from Firefox, Chrome, or other browsers. Also, according to a Google representative, the child can get around the settings by using the private browsing feature that is now built into the latest versions of Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Chrome. So, while this will keep kids from accidentally using Google for inappropriate searches, it will not deter tech-savvy kids who are determined to bypass the filters.
As I’ve said in other posts, filters are never a foolproof way to keep “tweens” and teenagers from inappropriate content. There are always ways to get around them, including using a different machine or mobile phone. Filters are effective for keeping young children from stumbling onto disturbing Web sites and they can be a deterrent to somewhat older kids who might have a momentary or casual interest in looking at material that their parents wish to block.
With all filters and controls, it’s important for parents to think about how you use them to help teach your child to exercise self-control and critical thinking so that, eventually, they can safely use the Web without filters or adult supervision. Also, for very young children, say 5 and under, its remains a good idea to be with the child while he or she is online. Tools like Google’s SafeSearch are helpful, but they are no substitute for close parental supervision, especially with young children.
Listen to Larry’s interview about Google SafeSearch with Google’s Scott Rubin
Treating kids on the web in a new way
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009I spent part of last week in Washington, D.C., attending a gathering that turned out to be a watershed moment in the 16-year history of online safety education.
The third annual conference of the Family Online Safety Institute brought together about 400 Internet safety advocates around the theme of “Building a Culture of Responsibility: From Online Safety to Digital Citizenship.”
The event, which drew participants from 15 countries, was different from previous years in that young people were viewed less as potential victims of online crimes and more as participants in a global online community.
That’s not to say that participants didn’t worry aloud about youth safety, but instead of focusing on real and imagined dangers, we focused on how adults can work with young people to encourage both ethical and self-protective behavior. It’s all about media literacy, digital citizenship and critical thinking.
This was a big change from just a couple of years ago, when Internet safety gatherings typically focused on ways adults could put up walls to protect children against predators, pornography and other dangers.
While Internet porn continues to be an issue, the “predator panic” that was rampant a few years ago has largely been put to rest as safety experts and law enforcement studies from the Crimes Against Children Research Center and elsewhere show that, statistically, the odds of a prepubescent child being sexually molested by an
online stranger is virtually zero and the odds of it happening to a teenager are very low, especially when compared with children who are harmed by family members and others they know from the real world.When kids are harmed or annoyed online, the culprit is far more likely to be a fellow young person. Though exact numbers are hard to come by, about a third of teens report having been subjected to some type of cyberbullying or online harassment ranging from slightly nasty comments to cruel messages, impersonation or even stalking.
Kids are affected by their own behavior ranging from posting pictures or comments online that could come to haunt them later to “sexting,” sending nude or nearly nude pictures of themselves to others.
While such images usually wind up only in the hands of the intended recipient, there are plenty of cases where photos have been distributed to others or posted online, causing embarrassment or potential ridicule. Even worse, there are teens who have been charged and convicted of producing, possessing and/or distributing child pornography.
While most prosecutors realize that child pornography laws were meant to protect, not punish, kids, a few misguided ones have used these laws against children.
When I said that the Internet safety field is 16 years old, I’m dating it from the publication of the first widely disseminated Internet safety booklet and set of rules which, I confess, were written by this columnist. Back then, I came up with some assumptions like “that 12-year-old girl might be a 40-year-old man” and “posting personal information can lead to harm,” but I wrote that material long before we had research to show that these and other early assumptions weren’t actually the case.
Years ago, I stopped giving out that type of advice but others continue to perpetuate myths about Internet dangers. What made me feel good about this conference is that all of the panic messages were off the table. What we talked about instead is how we can help adults better understand how kids actually use technology and how we can work with kids to better manage risk.
One theme at the conference was “one size doesn’t fit all.” Most kids are actually pretty savvy about keeping themselves safe from serious harm, but others — who are taking big risks — need more serious intervention. Risk prevention specialist Patti Agatston suggested we consider using health prevention models for Internet safety education — basic safety advice for most youth and intense counseling from mental health professionals for the small minority of young people who are taking extraordinary risks both on and offline.
There was a lot of discussion about the lack of interactive social media in schools. Federal law requires schools that receive federal “E-Rate” funding to use Internet filters, and many schools use these filters to block social media sites like MySpace and Facebook.
No one was suggesting that kids should spend their school days socializing with friends on Facebook and MySpace, but several speakers wondered why schools aren’t using social media as part of the educational process.
Anne Collier, my co-director at ConnectSafely.org, suggested that we think of social media “as the new book.” These are interactive books, in a sense, where kids are both consumers and authors. Rather than banning them, schools should be channeling kids toward educational use of this technology.
Dear SafeMama: What’s TPR and Is It Safe? Answer from The Soft Landing!
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 Question: Do you know the identity of the soft, non-skid “rubbery” parts that are often included on Sassy or Munchkin products? These seem a lot like PVC to me, but might be silicone. I know they are BPA free and SAY they are PVC free, but then what exactly is the material and is it safe? Answer: [...] Related posts:- SafeMama & The Soft Landing Holiday Giveaway
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Recall Alert: Maclaren Recalling Strollers Due to 12 Fingertip Amputations
Monday, November 9th, 2009 We generally don’t post recalls, here, but this is a big one, and so many of my friends have Maclaren strollers. They’re one of the most popular lightweight strollers out there. So when I found out they were recalling one million of them because of severed fingers, I figured, I should probably scrape the [...] Related posts:
Consumer Reports Tests Find BPA in Canned Soups, Juice, and More
Thursday, November 5th, 2009 Here we go … BPA in the news again. I have been wanting to post something about this since I saw it on the evening news the other night. Consumer Reports just published new findings (but none of it is really news to us) about levels of BPA in canned food. We knew it was [...] Related posts:- BPA in Canned Food: Tips to Avoid It
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