Don't reveal your e-mail address on a Web site, in chat rooms, or in a personal profile.
If you have a Web-based e-mail account such as Hotmail or Yahoo!, protect your e-mail address during the registration process. Watch out for options that automatically sign you up for directories, ask you to list your interests, or sign you up for promotional e-mailings. If you don't want to be spammed, "unclick" these options.
Create a "dummy" e-mail address.
If you have to submit an e-mail address – let's say, to enter a contest or register for a Web site – you could set up a dummy Hotmail address. That way you can protect your regular e-mail address from spammers.
Don't open or respond to unsolicited e-mail. If you get an e-mail message that you didn't ask for, from a person you don't know or from a marketer, don't answer the message (even if it's just to tell them not to bother you). If you respond to the message, you're showing the sender that your e-mail address is active, which is an open invitation to bother you again. Just forward it to the trash.
Forward e-mail that's offensive or illegal to your Internet Service Provider, to the police or www.cybertip.ca.
Tell an adult right away if you receive an e-mail message that makes you feel uncomfortable. If you receive unwanted spam, your ISP may be able to help you block or filter it. You have a right not to be harassed. Report any e-mail that contains illegal material such as threats or child pornography to the police and www.cybertip.ca.
Take advantage of e-mail filters.
Most e-mail programs, even Web-based accounts like Hotmail, have filters that allow you to block messages from specific people, or messages that contain certain words or phrases. These filters can help reduce the amount of spam you receive.
Remember that e-mail isn't private.
Think of e-mail as an electronic postcard – not a sealed letter. Anyone with basic hacking skills can read another person's e-mail.
Is my personal information that important?
"Don't sign up for personal directories." "Don't give your e-mail address to Web sites." Adults are always telling young people to guard their personal information when they're online, but is it that big a deal?
Many kids receive disturbing messages and images through their e-mail accounts – and very few kids ask an adult for help when this happens.
Did you know that:
- Nearly half of Canadian kids and teens use their e-mail accounts to contact people they've only met on the Net.
- Over 50 per cent of Canadian kids and teens say they would reveal their gender, age, hobbies, name and e-mail in order to win a contest on a Web site.
- Fifty-seven per cent of kids and teens with their own Web pages post their e-mail address on their page.
© 2005 Media Awareness Network.
