Predators on Social Networks. Sexual Predators and Child Molesters Find Easy Prey

Social networking is all the rage. Various web sites have sprung up for the sole purpose of providing a place for users to express themselves, share with like-minded individuals, discover new things, and communicate with others. Even I have a Myspace profile and a LinkedIn profile. 

The concept of social networking has also been extended to other areas. For example, Youtube (also picked up by Google), provides users with the ability to express their creativity, network, rate their favorite video clips, etc. Some sites like Flickr, DropShots, or PhotoBucket provide users with the ability to post and share photos and family videos. 

The bottom line is that social networking is hugely popular and it is big business. Unfortunately, child molesters, sexual predators, and scam artists have discovered that these sites can also be exploited to find victims. 

There have been numerous instances of sexual predators and child molesters posing as children to network with young victims on MySpace.com. MySpace was also recently discovered to be compromised by attackers spreading malware on exploited profile sites. MySpace has taken steps and implemented security measures to minimize this problem, but users should still be cautious and aware. 

While not directly related to a social network, Craigslist, the popular regional classified listings site, was recently used by a predator to lure a victim to her death. After listing a job opening for a babysitter / nanny, and arranging a meeting with the potential nanny, the killer then murdered the prospective nanny. 

Photo sharing sites are used by thousands of families to post and share family photos. It is possible to restrict access and only let users you identify view the pictures, but many users are proud of their kids and their photographic skills and allow the general public to view the photos as well. Child molesters and sexual deviants can search through these sites and bookmark their favorite photos of young boys and girls. 

Follow these steps to use social networking sites responsibly and avoid becoming a victim: 

Be Skeptical. At least be cautious. The point of social networking is to find people who share your interests and establish a network of friends, but don't let down your defenses too easily. Just because someone claims to like the same music as you, or share a passion for scrapbooking, doesn't mean it is true. These new "friends" are virtual and faceless and you can't completely trust that they are what they say they are. 

Be Diligent. Knowing that the potential exists for scam artists or sexual predators to be lurking about, keep an eye on your profile and be diligent about who you allow to connect with your profile. For photo sharing sites like Flickr, check out the users who are marking your photos as their Favorites. If some stranger is marking all of the pictures of your 7-year old son as their Favorites, it seems a little creepy and may be cause for concern. 

Report Suspicious Behavior. If you have reason to believe that someone is a sexual predator or scam artist, report it to the site. If you look at the profile of the user marking your son's photos as their Favorites, you might find that they have marked hundreds of other young boy's photos as their Favorites. Flickr, and other such sites, should take action against this sort of suspicious behavior. 

Communicate. Parents who have children that surf the Web and frequent these social networking sites should communicate with their children. Make sure your children are aware of the threat, and that they are educated about how to use the Web safely. Make sure that they understand the risks and that they know they can talk with you about suspicious or malicious activity they encounter. 

Monitor. If you want additional peace of mind, or you don't fully trust that your children will stay within the guidelines you have laid out, install some monitoring software to watch their online behavior. Using a product like eBlaster from SpectorSoft, you can monitor and record all activity on a given computer and keep an eye on your children.
http://netsecurity.about.com/od/newsandeditoria2/a/socialpredators.htm

FIND WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS IN THE TEXT THAT MEAN:

• es el último grito / es muy popular
• con el único propósito
• lo esencial / el punto fundamental es
• pederasta
• depredador sexual, pedófilo
• estafador
• hacerse pasar por
• marcar como favorito
• pervertidos, depravados sexuales
• no bajes tus defensas/ la guardia
• estar al acecho
• vigilar
• asqueroso, repulsivo
• actividad maliciosa o sospechosa
• tranquilidad

Misuse of Girls’ Pictures On Social Networking Websites

Girls are uploading their pictures on social networking websites like Facebook, Orkut, etc, to be accessed by everyone. What is happening is that many people are taking those pictures and misusing them by creating fake profiles to defame the girls. On some, inappropriate messages about the girl are written. On others, the picture is altered with a nude body of someone else added to the face of the girl. 

Many webmasters of adult websites use girls’ pictures from social networking websites to promote their business, with things like, “these girls are available.” In reality, those girls don’t even know that their picture is on a website of such a nature. Pimps are also hovering on social networking websites, trying to find pictures of good looking girls for their business. Many prostitutes also use those pictures for personal gain. 

Many girls’ cell phone numbers are put on websites after being taken without their consent. Some websites have pictures along with the cell numbers. In reality, those pictures do not belong to the person whose cell phone number has been posted. The pictures have been taken from social networking websites. 

Below is some basic common sense that girls should follow. 

- Never upload your picture on social networking websites. If you have to use a picture, use a non-animate one. 

- If you have to share your picture with a relative, send it through e-mail. 

- If you are in an internet cafe, please make sure you are logged out. 

- Please use features such as ‘Ignore User’ and ‘Report Abuse’ if you ever get unwanted invites or messages. 

According to police Sub Inspector Ravindra Chavan, “Orkut users should not put up their photographs on the site. They should not reveal personal information in their profile. Also, no cell phone numbers or identity should be mentioned in the scrap book, as it is open to all.” 

Below are some real life stories of girls who went through a lot of misery because of photo tampering and fake profiles. 

- The father of a South Delhi school girl suffered from the fake profile of his daughter posted on Orkut that not only described the teenager as a ’sex teacher’, but also contained obscene photographs and her contact details. The teenager’s family had received the first call where the caller wanted to speak to the girl. Similar calls poured in later, the police said, adding all the callers referred to Orkut. Father of the girl lodged a complaint with the Cyber Cell of the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences after his family started receiving calls following the appearance of the fake profile. 

- An air-hostess had moved a court here alleging that someone has opened an account in her name on Orkut wherein she is being described as a “sex struck woman”. The family had a harrowing time when two strangers knocked at their door a fortnight ago and told them the girl had invited them for sex, they added. Police said a case has been registered and investigations were on. The air-hostess claimed that act has lowered her reputation in the eyes of her family members and neighbors. She also said that she had written to the national commission of the women ministry against her criminal defamation, but no actions have been taken so far. 

- It was one of those normal evenings when *****, a software engineer in Chennai, logged on to Orkut to unwind from work and catch up with friends. But one and a half minutes later, the evening turned shocking and miserable for her. What she saw was a cheeky scrap and forward to a profile that had her semi-nude photo in another girl’s profile, tagged as her sister who flagged joint hints of intimate advances and indecent invites. Her photo had been brazenly and easily tampered with. After many weeks of tension and repeated requests to Orkut, the ID was removed. She vowed never to be vulnerable again. 

http://www.chowrangi.com/misuse-of-girls-pictures-on-social-networking-websites.html

FIND EXPRESSIONS THAT MEAN THE FOLLOWING:

• hacer un mal uso, difamar
• disponible
• chulo, proxeneta
• merodear, rondar
• beneficio personal
• cerrar sesión
• álbum
• pasarlo fatal
• manipulación de fotos
• presentar una queja/ reclamación
• alegar
• acceder a
• desconectar del trabajo
• ponerse al día con los amigos
• descarado
• etiquetar
• descaradamente

Girls’ Cell Phone Numbers on Social Networking Websites

Girls are uploading their pictures and many leave their cell phone numbers and other personal information on social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter, Orkut etc, to be accessed by everyone. 

It is dangerous to leave personal pictures on social networking websites, or anywhere for that matter, because they can be misused if they fall into wrong hands. What is equally condemnable is girls leaving their personal information, including their cell phone number, on social networking websites.

One reason why girls face harassment on cell phones is because they take little precaution, if any, to make sure that their number is not available to strangers. Also, why do girls (and boys) need a cell phone in the first place? For idle gossip. Research, although questionable, has linked excessive cell phone use to brain cancer.

There are groups on social networking websites which invite girls to join and share their personal information, especially their cell phone number. Others ask for friendship. Girls are naive and trusting by nature. They start a friendship with anyone who may appear to be nice and sweet, and the next thing they know, they are headed for disaster.

In all fairness, some girls actually want this so called friendship to get boys to pay their cell phone bills. Other girls want to have a good time. This is a major problem. These so called friendships end up nowhere. Not one has ended in marriage. Girls should avoid visiting such websites and groups which needlessly ask for personal information.

Some people have made videos on YouTube with dirty music playing in the background with pictures of girls which looked like they were taken from Facebook. These girls are unaware. Also, anyone’s face can be added to anyone’s body to create a nude picture. Girls should remove their pictures and personal information from social networking websites.

http://www.chowrangi.com/girls-cell-phone-numbers-on-social-networking-websites.html