Help Kids be Cyber-Savvy

When I was growing up in New York City in the 1970s, it wasn't exactly an idyllic, carefree time. (Anybody remember Son of Sam?) However, when I ponder the exponential risks that the Internet creates for kids growing up anywhere today, it stops me in my tracks.

Those of us who live-and-breathe tech are probably more attuned than most when it comes to imagining the dangers that lurk in cyberspace. Indeed, we're well aware of the security and privacy risks that can ride along with the coolest Facebook apps, we know the constant concern about identity theft and data loss, and we lose sleep over the many types of individual predators who can lurk anywhere online.

Yet, when it comes time to educate our children about the dangers online, we need all the help we can get. I'm told that kids these days practically emerge from the womb with a computing device in hand. There's certainly a big generational divide when it comes to engaging in a meaningful dialog about appropriate, safe online behavior.

That's why I was delighted when a longtime colleague, Ben Halpert, CISSP -- whose "day job" involves security for a major Fortune 500 enterprise -- told me he was launching a non-profit organization Savvy Cyber Kids. As part of his ongoing efforts to help caregivers educate kids about safe online practices, Ben authored the children's book Savvy Cyber-Kids at Home: The Family Gets a Computer, illustrated by Taylor Southerland.

The book was released in time to coincide with the seventh annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM). The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) are the primary drivers of NCSAM. The groups chose October to mark the month in which they shine a light on what home users, schools, businesses and governments need to do in order to protect their computers, children, and data. Seminars, educational sessions and other events are being held around the country to raise awareness of online risks and best practices.

Savvy Cyber-Kids at Home is one of these admirable undertakings. Written in a rhyming style reminiscent of Dr. Seuss, the book takes a fun, gentle approach, introducing kids to the concept of protecting their identity online. (If you're like me, you probably know some adults who could benefit from reading this very basic information, too.)

Teachers fired for flirting on Facebook with students

At least three educators from city public high schools have been fired in the past six months for having inappropriate dealings with students on Facebook -- one of which culminated in a sexual relationship, The Post has learned.

One of the booted employees is former Bronx teacher Chadwin Reynolds, who "friended" about a half-dozen female students and wrote creepy comments like, "This is sexy," under some of their Facebook photos, schools investigators found.

Reynolds, a former Fordham HS for the Arts teacher, allegedly even tried to get one teen to go out with him by getting her phone number and sending her flowers, candy and a teddy bear.

And despite knowing that the schoolgirls could view his Facebook profile, Reynolds posted a tasteless tagline that read, "I'm not a gynecologist, but I'll take a look inside," according to the special commissioner of investigation for the New York City school district.

Reynolds, 37, protested to The Post that his case "was thrown out. It's not true. The Board of Ed found that the claims were not valid," even though the Department of Education confirmed that he had been cut loose because of the social-networking scandal.

Another ex-DOE employee -- Laurie Hirsch, 30, a former paraprofessional at Bryant HS in Long Island City, Queens -- was canned in May for her steamy Facebook shenanigans involving a student.

She had posted a photo of her kissing an 18-year-old male former student on the lips, which sparked an investigation.

The student subsequently told probers at the Office of the Special Commissioner of Investigation that he had had sex with Hirsch about 10 times in her apartment last year, and records revealed 2,700 phone contacts between the pair over a six-month period.

Cyber Kids Educate Luddite Parents

Did you know what October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month? Well, it is. And before it's completely over, the Savvy Cyber Kids are coming to the rescue. That's the name of an Atlanta-based 501c3 organization with the mission of teaching parents what they need to be afraid of. The site offers a lesson plan for parents, although you'll have to register with the site to download it. You know: give up a little personal information.

Capitalizing on the success of The Social Network, the organization's founder is going on news shows and telling parents how to keep personal information off a Facebook profile.The organization has also released a book called The Savvy Cyber Kids at Home: The Family Gets a Computer, which is available on Amazon for $15.83. The site only has two wildly over-the-top reviews at the moment. Why not add your own? Post an Amazon review telling what the Savvy Cyber Kids protected you from. 

Tracking digital shadows

7 a.m.: You wake up and look outside your window. It's raining, so you decide to check the weather on television. Without realizing it, you've already shared information about yourself, possibly to hundreds of people, and your day has just begun.

In your daily life, there are dozens of ways you transmit personal information -without ever logging on to a computer -from using your credit card, to walking down a city street. Taken together, that information is called a person's digital shadow.

With all the technology advances of the last 20 years, the length of an average person's digital shadow has grown tremendously, and will grow even more in the coming years. The more information out there, the more chances there are that it can be used by others, sometimes against you, either as a way to profile you for a marketing campaign, or for more nefarious uses like stealing your identity, appropriating sensitive corporate data, or stalking your every move.

"It's the sort of trail that you may not be aware of, because you don't have physical contact with the machine that may be collecting the information," said Colin Mc-Kay, the director of research, education and outreach with the office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

New Facebook App Monitors Your Child’s Gaming Behaviors

Parents wishing to follow along as their children play games online have a new friend in Piggyback, a recently launched Facebook application designed for such purposes.

Piggyback, built by newly launched startup Media Chaperone, is a free Facebook application for parents who want to monitor in real time their children’s online social and gaming activities from their Facebook profiles.

Parents get an overview of their children’s activities on partner sites, receive safety alerts, have access to game-specific reports and get notifications about their children’s in-game achievements.