How Community Groups Can Establish Safe Internet Environments

(and why it is so important)

Liz Butterfield

queries@netsafe.org.nz

 

Community groups around New Zealand are using the Internet in a variety of ways, including:

• As a tool to assist volunteers and employees in their work
• As a place to market and publicise the group and its services
• As a resource to which they offer access for either clients or community members.

Offering Internet access is a serious responsibility because an unsafe Internet environment can put community group workers (and clients) at real risk. Community groups have the same responsibility as schools to create and maintain a safe environment. ICT is not just a tool for learning or community work; it is an information and social environment that is having a profound effect on our society, especially our children and young people. Structuring a safe Internet environment is a relatively straightforward process but requires an understanding of what the risks on the Internet are and how best to minimise those risks.

The Internet Safety Group philosophy is that anyone offering access, or encouraging access, must offer education as well. Even businesses, which are encouraging people to become e-commerce customers, can offer simple safety information to help those who visit their site. The commercial site for adolescent girls 'nzgirl' is a fine example. They always have safety information posted there for their site visitors.

Being realistic about Internet risk does not in any way detract from the enormous benefits offered by the Internet. In fact, understanding and educating about Internet risk allows members of our community to more fully enjoy, and may even enhance, those many benefits.

Introduction to the Internet Safety Group

The Internet Safety Group (ISG) began its work in 1998, and has created a comprehensive national Internet Safety initiative. A broad range of talented and committed people have contributed to the success of this work, including key representatives of:

• The NZ Police
• The Department of Internal Affairs
• The Department for Courts
• The Department of Child, Youth and Family Services
• Primary, intermediate, secondary and tertiary educators and school Trustees
• Community groups such as SAFE Network, the Peace Foundation and Auckland Rape Crisis
• And both young people and parents.

The goal of the Internet Safety Group from the beginning has been to educate about Internet risks and related issues in a positive, common sense manner that encourages use of this wonderful resource. The Group decided initially to disseminate this information to young people, parents and the wider community through schools.

The Internet Safety Kit was sent to every school in New Zealand in March 2000, and a brochure about the Kit, with safety posters, went to every community library. The Kit is a 'user-friendly' package with information, guidelines and sample documents, some in both English and Maori. The first goal of the Kit was to help schools educate children, in primary through secondary schools, and their parents about the risks of the Internet and practical measures for staying safe in cyberspace. Information on monitoring, safe sites, community resources, and a toll free phone line, 0508 NETSAFE, for queries and assistance were included in the Kit.

The second goal of the Internet Safety Kit was to help schools establish a safe Internet environment, which it is their legal responsibility to do. The Kit has since been accepted by the Ministry of Education as a 'model of best practice' and the Education Review Office is now asking to see Internet policies and Use Agreements when visiting schools regarding compliance issues.

At the time of the Kit launch, www.netsafe.org.nz  went online. The full Kit is posted on this website as well as a tremendous amount of additional information. Netsafe is the core of the Internet Safety Group's work.

Internet risks

Understanding the risks in cyberspace is essential to understanding why the process of creating a safe Internet environment is so important. In 2000, the Internet Safety Group (ISG) focused on the two most significant threats to young people on the Internet.

• Paedophiles here in New Zealand were using the Internet to groom vulnerable children for abuse.
• Over 20% of those caught trading in illegal child pornography here in New Zealand were school-age males.

Since that time the work of the ISG has expanded to include the following:

• The ease with which sexual predators can exploit the Internet environment.
• The need for safety strategies when meeting new Internet friends face to face.
• Bullying, harassment and stalking.
• Fraud and identity theft.
• The ease of access to incredible quantities of legal and illegal pornography.
• Sexual harassment in the workplace from unwanted exposure to pornography.
• Anti-social material and sites.
• Addiction to the Internet.
• Cyberostracisim (being excluded from an Internet group).
• Anti-social disinhibition (behaving in a negative way that is out-of-character).
• Hacking and other malicious activities (e.g. viruses).
• Copyright infringement.
• Defamation.

What is happening in New Zealand?

The Internet Safety Group with the help of the Psychology Department of the University of Auckland created the first survey on Internet risk here in New Zealand - 'Girls on the Net' (2001). There were 347 respondents, all female between 11 and 19 years of age. Here are a few results:

• 69% were using the Internet most days.
• 60% had done at least one potentially unsafe behaviour. (35.5% gave out personal information e.g. address/phone no., 26.5% sent a photo of themselves to someone they met, and 14.5% had posted a picture of themselves on the Net.)
• 95.5% use the Internet at home, yet 75% state that their use of the Internet at home is only occasionally (37.5%) or never (37.5%) monitored by an adult.
• 23% report having felt unsafe or threatened while using the Internet (most commonly from sexual threats).
• 34% have had a personal face-to-face meeting with someone they met on the Internet.
• Of those who have had a personal face-to-face meeting:
• 40% met the person in a chatroom.
• 86% met males.
• 38% met someone 18 or older, and 5% someone 25 or older.
• 35% did not tell their parents or caregivers about the meeting beforehand.
• 32% went to that meeting alone.

This was followed by 'The Net Generation' in March 2002, done as part of a Master's thesis by a student at the University of Auckland. This survey was given to over 2500 school students between 7 and 19 years of age at very culturally diverse decile three and four schools.

• 63% reported using the Internet at least two or three times a week.
• 84% reported using the Internet at home, while 43% use the Internet at someone else's home.
• 31% of 7-10 year olds and 67% of those 16 or older reported sending or receiving email from someone they met on the Internet.
• More than eighty students (7%, does not include Primary) reported feeling unsafe or threatened as a result of interactions with someone they met on the Internet.
• 23% of 7-10 year olds and 37% of those 16 or older reported having had a face-to-face meeting with someone they met on the Internet.
• One in three students (33%) reported never having their use of the Internet monitored at home.
• 18% reported they had no safety rules when meeting someone they don't know well.

The full survey results make interesting reading and are posted on the Research page of www.netsafe.org.nz  The results clearly illustrate the serious need for Internet safety education and the sort of problems young people are encountering. There is no reason to assume adult behaviour on the Internet would vary significantly, but adults generally have more resources to cope with unpleasant or upsetting experiences.

A safe Internet environment

The single most important factor in this process is education. A community group member who reads a newspaper story about Internet crime and goes on the Internet to research these issues, or reads this paper on Community Net, has begun the education for that group.

Internet safety education is an on-going process. There are three basic steps to establish a safe Internet environment and education is happening at each stage. Sample documents from the Internet Safety Kit for schools can be used as templates and modified to meet a community group's needs. These documents are all in the 'Kit' section of www.netsafe.org.nz

First step: Infrastructure

Here a community group develops the documents that are 'the bones' of a safe Internet environment.

1. An Internet Use or Acceptable Use Policy
   (Internet Safety Kit sample policy can be used as a template).
   
   Questions to ask: How is the Internet a part of the organisation's work? What is appropriate use of the Internet in work time and what isn't? Who can use the Internet and when? How is monitoring achieved and who is responsible?
   
   
2. Internet Use or Acceptable Use Agreements
   (Kit samples for school students and staff can be used as templates)
   
   Questions to ask: What are the organisation's rules about Internet use? In the case of staff, are there responsibilities for monitoring others in addition to their own use? In the case of young person, is a parent or caregiver signature advisable?
   
   
3. Protocol for an incident of misuse
   (Kit sample on the website)
   
   Questions to ask: To whom should an employee (or client) with an Internet problem go? Who would respond within the organisation and in what sequence? Who would handle any media comment and draft a release? For possible counselling support of staff or clients, what particular local counsellors or organisations could be consulted for assistance (i.e. the local sexual offender treatment programme)? Is it worth consulting with them about relevant sections of the protocol in the planning stage?
   
   
4. Internet Safety Officer
   The Internet Safety Kit recommends schools chose a person at a senior management level to be the Internet Safety Officer (ISO). This person is the central contact for all matters regarding the Internet. This can also be done with a team of people, managed by the ISO. A community group can follow the school model.
   
   
5. Education
   The ISO, or the IS team, may need training on the issues of Internet safety. At the very least, going through the material on the Netsafe website will give a very solid grounding in the subject.
   
   

Second step: Systems

1. Security
   Questions to ask: How is the organisation going to protect its information and its systems from hacking or viruses? Are you going to use software? Will there be rules that should be included in Use Agreements (i.e. no one can bring in discs from home). Are you going to contract services or use software packages? If the organisation is a small one, is there free software, which will meet the need?
   
   
2. Filtering
   Questions to ask: How does filtering fit with the philosophy of your organisation? Are you going to use a filtered service from your Internet Service Provider? Is it best to use a combination of filtered and unfiltered access at various terminals? If so, do you want the filtering done by word or by filtering out unacceptable sites? Do you want to use a filtering software package?
   
   
3. Monitoring
   Questions to ask: What are you monitoring for, i.e. time spent on the Net, inappropriate material, inappropriate content? Who is going to monitor? What will be the routine for monitoring Internet use? Will you do periodic audits? Will you use monitoring software packages?
   
   
4. Education
   Those who will be responsible for maintenance and monitoring of the systems may need training on using the system. They, and the ISO or IS team, will in turn need to start educating those who will use the Internet about how the systems work. Details of this may need to be reflected in the Policy document and Use Agreements, such as use of a personal ID number and the need to keep that number private.
   
   

Third step: A culture of Internet Safety

Now education comes to the fore after an organisation has put the right documents in order and has all IT systems functioning. Everyone who has worked on the infrastructure process has received an education about Internet safety. Now others in the organisation will need to get that same education.

The first step comes with the signing of Use Agreements. Those are education documents and inform the signer of what the organisation's culture about the Internet will be, but a more thorough understanding of the issues, through training or written material, will help make those agreements more effective.

A safety policy can be reinforced in many ways - through handouts (Internet Safety Kit handouts for young people and parents can be modified or any page of the Netsafe site can be downloaded for distribution), posters, routine notices on the computer screens, stickers, and a posted Policy. If staff members are working with members of the public on the Internet they may need materials to educate those Internet users.

A community organisation that has successfully established a safe Internet environment is an important resource on that process for the whole community. Articles in local papers can highlight the work an organisation has done. Perhaps other local groups can be assisted with the process. If a community organisation has a website, it is recommended a link to Netsafe be added.

The final challenge is to stay current with the development of communication technologies and their social impact. This is why web-based resources are so crucial. Sometimes education documents can be out of date almost before the ink has dried. The Netsafe site will be a growing source of information. Groups can send queries at any time to queries@netsafe.org.nz or call the ISG tollfree number 0508 NETSAFE.

As local schools, businesses and community organisations go through the process of creating safe Internet environments; the information will flow out into our community as a whole. This will help ensure that everyone can enjoy the wonders of the Internet safely.