April 11, 2006

PRYING EYES
Women Warned Too Much Info On Internet Is Dangerous

By Amanda Cuda, Connecticut Post Online

Imagine a dry erase board on the door of a college dorm room. On it, someone has written: "This is where I live — alone. I am here before 10 a.m. and after 10 p.m. I have a physics class across campus in the late afternoon and an astronomy class in the evenings on Tuesday and Thursday. I generally have dinner at 5 p.m. in the cafeteria. Below is a list of all my hobbies and other places I might be during the day."

You'd probably never see such a message. Most people would balk at posting all that personal information in such a public place, where complete strangers can glimpse it and know your whereabouts.

But many of those same people wouldn't blink before posting all kinds of intimate information on social networking Web sites like MySpace.com and Facebook.com.

Doing so can leave young people — particularly women — vulnerable to stalkers who use the Internet to pursue their victims said Chris Piscitelli, director of judicial affairs at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven. "You have to be conscious of what you post online," he said. "Information that you would not post on your door for everyone to see is probably information you shouldn't post on the Internet, either."

Hoping to help students better defend themselves against Internet predators, SCSU will host the program "MySpace.com: Issues in Stalking and Cyberstalking" from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Monday.

The event will include a documentary on stalking and cyberstalking, and a panel discussion, moderated by Piscitelli.

Others participating in the talk include New Haven Police Detective Keith Wortz, state Rep. Patricia Dillon, D-New Haven and campus police officer Ivan Torres. The panelists will talk about various aspects of cyberstalking, including the legal issues associated with it and how to keep yourself safe online. The event comes on the heels of a number of recent incidents involving abuse of the Internet. The FBI's Computer Crimes Task Force recently arrested two out-of-state men for allegedly using MySpace.com to meet and sexually assault 11- and 14-year-old girls in Fairfield County. Then last week, Department of Homeland Security Deputy Press Secretary Brian J. Doyle was charged with using a computer to seduce a child, after allegedly starting sexual conversations online with an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old girl. April is also Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The Women's Center director said it's more important than ever for Web surfers to practice vigilance online. "MySpace and other sites are used quite a bit by our students," Christy said. "I think it's important for everyone to be aware of this. Students need to realize that, if they're giving out information over the Internet it might not be that secure."

Cyberstalking isn't an issue that previous generations needed to worry about, Piscitelli said.

"I'm not significantly older than this generation," said Piscitelli who is in his 30s. "But when I attended university these issues didn't exist.

With computers becoming more and more prevalent at younger ages, students coming to the universities are already well versed in these cyber communities. The job of the university is to teach them about the pros and cons of the Internet." Each speaker will deal with different aspects of this topic. Wortz, for instance, will talk about the legal issues surrounding cyberstalking. He said this offense can take many forms. Sometimes, as with regular stalking, it's simply a matter of someone who won't take no for an answer, and keeps e-mailing or instant messaging you. Often, these stalkers can change their address or username so you can't identify them, Wortz said.

A good rule of thumb is not to open message from addresses you don't recognize, Wortz said. Also, if your pursuer is someone you know, feel free to clearly tell them the attention is unwanted. If the harassment persists, tell the police, he said.

Other forms of cyberstalking are even more damaging, Wortz said. "Sometimes it's a case of someone who's computer savvy and hacks into your computer," he said.

That person can access your personal information and use it against you, to order products in your name or harass you in other ways, Wortz said.

Though stalking affects both genders, women generally have to be more vigilant about these topics than men do, said Dillon, who will discuss state legislation on cyberstalking. About 10 years ago, Dillon authored a bill that made stalking someone via computer a criminal offense. Until then, it was illegal to harass someone via phone or mail, but not computer.

Women generally have to be more concerned about stalkers and other predators than men do, Dillon said. "Theoretically, both genders are capable of violence, but a lot of the stalking does seem to come from males," she said. "Women have to think in different ways about these kinds of things."

There are a number of ways that you can defend yourself against cyberstalking, the panelists said. Maybe the most important is to be careful about the personal information you share through Web sites like MySpace.

Often, Dillon said, people let their guard down while online and feel comfortable sharing information they wouldn't normally divulge, like where they live or go to school. This information can make it easier for predators to find and stalk victims, which in turn can lead to more serious crimes.

"Because your computer is usually in your home, you develop a false sense of intimacy," Dillon said. "We need to be a lot more prudent. We need to assume that as soon as we turn on the computer, it's the same as walking into Times Square.

"We need to protect ourselves."

This relaxed attitude about sharing information isn't limited to MySpace.com, Piscitelli, but includes other sites, such as Facebook.com, a networking Web site that connects students at schools.

Piscitelli said students can be especially careless with Facebook, because it's limited to those with an "edu" address. "It's a smaller community so they feel protected, and might share a lot of information," he said.

Still, even restricted communities can attract predators, so students need to be careful, Piscitelli said. Be careful to avoid references to things like your class schedule, and to withhold personal information, like your phone number, he said.

"It opens the door to people who they don't want contacting them," Piscitelli said.

Wortz advises keeping even hints of your identity out of your username or address. For instance, don't use your first name or birthday in your address. "Try to keep it as generic as possible," he said.

Despite all the dangers online, the panelists also want to teach those who attend Monday's program that the Internet can be a great thing — if handled properly.

"It's very exciting that this technology is available to us," Dillon said. "We just need to use it wisely."

"MySpace.com: Issues in Stalking and Cyberstalking" will take place in Room A120 of Engleman Hall on the campus of SCSU, 501 Crescent St. in New Haven.

For more information, call 392-6946.