safetyAll our Privacy Parent articles about or related to increasing your and your children’s safety online.
All our Privacy Parent articles about or related to increasing your and your children’s safety online.
March 23rd, 2023
You may have suspected this already, but deepfake videos, in which footage is heavily manipulated, are here. And, predictably, they’re alarming. Students in a school about an hour north of New York City recently fabricated a video that showed—even though it never happened—a middle school principal going on a racist rant. To be clear, the principal didn’t say what the video showed him saying. And that, of course, is what’s so alarming.
It offers…... Continue reading >
June 1st, 2022
It is with sadness in our hearts that we felt compelled to address the topic of violence in schools. Hasn’t this gone on for too long? Can’t we end this violent cycle of tragedy? We must not continue to let our children be attacked in what should be the safest space outside of their own home. At Privacy Parent, we may not be able to influence our leaders and lawmakers (yet), but we can use our expertise…... Continue reading >
March 22nd, 2022
Children are spending a lot of time in front of a digital screen these days. On average: seven hours a day among kids age 8 to 18—and that’s before schools closed and we were all ordered home. Screen time recommendations vary among health advocates, but no one suggests staring at a screen for nearly a full workday is good for anyone, let alone 9-year-olds. For the CDC’s take, click here.
What do…... Continue reading >
March 17th, 2022
Let’s shed some light on the Dark Web. What is it? Where is it? Do I need to worry about it?
The Dark Web is a shadowy version of the Internet we all know and use, home to a range of good guys and bad guys, according to the National Institute of Justice. The Internet’s secret side. People use sites on the Dark Web for a range of reasons, but its built-in anonymity…... Continue reading >
July 16th, 2021
The FBI has a warning for parents: Online gaming isn’t all fun and games. Too often, the anonymous people on the other side of the screen are adults, preying on kids.
Parents need to know that while kids and teens are having fun playing with each other or against a machine, adults are also there. And some of them are lurking with bad intent.
The Internet Crime Complaint…... Continue reading >
December 28th, 2020
Here’s a hard truth for parents: Big Tech knows more about your kids than you do.
Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Twitter and so many more are vacuuming up countless bits of digital information about users. The details, when aggregated, paint a portrait of each person online that ordinary humans are unable to put together themselves.
These organizations may not know more about your kids’ personality than you do. But if your…... Continue reading >
December 15th, 2020
If you’re going to use Instagram, be smart about it and take control. Setting your account to “Private” restricts who can see your posts. Dig a little deeper into the app’s “settings” to limit the amount of personal information the harvests from your posts and control, somewhat, the ads you see. You’ll end up with a safer, more private account that sheds a bit less data from Instagram, Facebook and their advertisers to collect.
... Continue reading >
August 6th, 2020
Protect your phone number and protect yourself. If a form on a website asks for it, think twice before typing it in. The more widely distributed your phone number is, the easier it is for companies to track your behavior online and serve up ads to you. And because your phone number is so closely tied to your identity, it’s a prize for hackers, too. Keep it close and protect yourself. If your kids have phones,…... Continue reading >
July 8th, 2020
A private Instagram account is a better Instagram account because its a safer Instagram account. It’s also really quick and easy to do. Here’s a brief how and why to get you on your way to private, better, safer Instagram.
First, the Why
If your Instagram account is public, that means anyone with access to the app can look at your posts, send you direct messages and see when you’re active…... Continue reading >
April 7th, 2020
Editor’s note: Zoom has just released a package of security enhancements, part of an initiative the company’s calling Zoom 5.0. Read more about it here.
The antidote to self-isolation and social-distancing? Zoom. Virtually unheard of in mainstream America a month ago, Zoom, a video conference app, is suddenly everywhere, allowing coworkers to collaborate from home and kids to show off their latest paintings to amazed grandparents. But why Zoom? And, with reports of…... Continue reading >