| A GUIDE FOR USING
THE INTERNET
The Internet is a truly
amazing resource. People from all over the planet are getting
on line to teach, learn and interact. We now have access to
a global library of information and this year millions of
us will look for information about behavioral health on thousands
and thousands of sites.
Because the Internet
is so new, there are problems as well as benefits. We are
in the midst of an information explosion, but how can we know
if the information on a web site is accurate? Is someone trying
to push a product? Will our privacy be invaded after a visit
to a web site? How can we help children use the power of the
Internet without being harmed? How can we begin to harness
the great potential of the Internet without risk to ourselves?
Here are a some suggestions and resources:
Privacy
Policies
Read the Privacy Policy statement on a site before you give
out any information. Some sites sell, trade or rent your name
and email address. Can they do that? Yes!
Links
The privacy policy of the first web site you visited does
not extend to other sites connected by links. Be aware that
some sites are paid to provide a link to another site.
Chat
Rooms
Don’t give out your name or e-mail address in a chat
room; use an alias and protect your privacy and safety. Teach
children and teens how to protect their privacy.
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Child
Protection and Advocacy
Teach children to use the Internet safely and be aware of
how you can protect them from cybercrime.
Learn about the Children’s
Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) at the Center for
Media Education (CME) a nonprofit organization dedicated to
quality electronic media for kids and families.
Visit Consumer
Education at Trust.e where you can get a free 19-page
Parent’s and Teacher’s Guide, a comprehensive
guide for parents and teachers to educate children about protecting
privacy online.
See CyberAngels
a cyber-neighborhood watch organization that reports illegal
material online.
Visit Wired
Kids UNESCO’s Innocence in Danger program site.
The mission of the program is to protect children from cybercriminals.
What’s
in the Cookie Jar?
Find out about "cookies". Cookies are little programs
that can get put on the hard drive of your computer when you
visit an Internet site. In some cases, a cookie can help you
navigate around a site, but cookies can also be used to gather
information about you.
Read more about cookies at Junkbusters,
"How Web Server’s Cookies Threaten Your Privacy".
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Internet
"Infomercials"
The Internet can be a great place to shop but be aware that
some sites put up health information because they want to
sell you something. Is there a corporate sponsor you should
know about? If so, is the information objective? Who knows?
Be a skeptic.
Get a second opinion In a library the size of the Internet,
there is no way to avoid some misinformation and errors. For
example, the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) web site
alone is over a million pages. Read from several sources to
research your issues and then talk to people you trust.
Visit the American Psychological
Association Help Center and see a brochure called "dotCOMSENSE"
that discusses many issues about using the Internet to get
health information. Order free copies for yourself or a group.
Finally, when it comes
to something as important as your health, start out by looking
at sites sponsored by universities, government agencies and
non-profit organizations and corporations your know. Information
that comes from professional and technical journals has been
evaluated and screened by others in the field prior to publication.
Some information on the Internet
is inaccurate and some is dangerously inaccurate.
Behavioral Health Services Division staff previewed the web
sites listed in the NMCARES.ORG Internet Resource Guide. However,
no one read and evaluated every word and the links from the
sites are not previewed.
We are not endorsing any of the information in web sites listed
on the NMCARES.ORG site. The information on any web site is
not designed to replace the relationships between consumers
and his or her health care team, including physicians, psychologists,
counselors and case managers.
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