Cyber Safety Expert Warns of Online Dangers

Marti Lotman
It’s public and permanent. That’s what top internet safety speaker Richard Guerry wants you to remember about every piece of information you post online and on social media.

Guerry, founder of the non-profit organization The Institute for Responsible Online and Cell-Phone Communication, spoke to Middle School students and their parents about internet safety during a packed lecture at the Barker Performing Arts center.

He provided chilling examples of the consequences of misusing technology.

“This man is no longer breathing over a Tweet,” Guerry said, showing the room a picture of a young man killed for something he posted on Twitter.

The cyber-security expert went on to list additional examples of young people whose dreams, like playing professional football or going to the college of their choice, were dashed because of things they had posted online.

“The benefits of technology come with tremendous potential pitfalls if we’re not careful,” Guerry warned.

Guerry also addressed cyber-bullying and cruelty. He warned students that even when you think you’re posting something anonymously, it’s never really anonymous.

“We all get mad. How we deal with getting mad is what’s important,” Guerry said.

Misusing technology doesn’t just have social consequences, it can also carry financial consequences.

Guerry told parents that if they do any form of bill pay on their phones, they should immediately download software to protect their personal information.

Guerry warned that it’s safer to print out your bank account numbers and paste them to your front window than it is to do online shopping or banking without some form of protection from identity theft.

Two software options he recommended are Lockout Mobile and Malware Bites.

At the end of the day, whether you’re a parent or student, you should limit your risks and follow guidelines when it comes to technology, Guerry says. He says how we use technology creates the outcome.

“We are trained to focus on immediacy rather than our legacy,” Guerry says. “We’re not conditioned to think long term.”

“But I want you to consider what you are leaving behind and what future generations will discover about you through your online presence.”

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