Using the Internet Safely for Seniors for Dummies (ISBN - 0470457457)

387 Pages·2021·15.6 MB·English

Linda Criddle
Nancy C. Muir

Learn to:
• Socialize online safely

• Create strong passwords

• Identify trusted sites

• Spot e-mail and ID theft scams

Using the Internet Safely
For Seniors

Making Everything Easier!™

Open the book and find:

• The tools you need to protect
your computer from viruses

• A guide to your rights when
using the Internet

• How you can help keep your
grandchildren safer online

• A glossary of common
computer terms

• Ways to find movies, games,
and music to enjoy online

• How to use social networking
sites safely

• Surprising ways your personal
information can be stolen

Linda Criddle is an internationally recognized Internet safety
and technology expert and President of LOOKBOTHWAYS Inc.,
which develops online safety curriculum and software.
Nancy C. Muir has written more than 40 books on technology
and is the Director of Content Development for LOOKBOTHWAYS.
Learn more at www.ilookbothways.com.

$21.99 US / $25.99 CN / £15.99 UK

ISBN 978-0-470-45745-0

Internet/Security

Go to dummies.com®

for more!

Protect your privacy and use
the Internet more securely with
advice from safety experts

Isn’t the Internet amazing? But oh, the risks you’ve
heard about — online identity theft, e-mail scams
trying to separate you from your bank accounts, phony
medical information, and more. Here’s the guide you
need to steer through the hazards with confidence,
so you can shop, visit, invest, explore, pay bills, and do
dozens of other things online — more securely.

• Have fun — find out how to share photos and videos, chat
with others, and participate in online discussions — safely

• Choose passwords with muscle — they don’t have to be
hard to remember, just hard to guess

• Keep your information to yourself — see how personal
info is collected and used by legitimate companies — and
crooks

• Safely surfin’ — follow these tips to set up a browser, use
search engines effectively, and sidestep suspicious ads

• Protect your pocket — with strong passwords and
reasonable caution, online banking and bill-paying might
be safer than using your neighborhood bank

• Stay healthier with online advice — discover how to spot
reputable healthcare sites and avoid medical ID theft and
scams

• Learn how to spot online risks — discover how online
criminals think, how to recognize risks, and how seniors
can become safer online

Using the Internet Safely
For Seniors

Criddle
Muir

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Using the Internet Safely
For Seniors

FOR

DUMmIES

‰

by Linda Criddle and Nancy Muir

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Using the Internet Safely For Seniors For Dummies®
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774

www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under
Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the
Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance
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Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111
River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.
com/go/permissions.
Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest
of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier,
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vendor mentioned in this book.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2009922969
ISBN: 978-0-470-45745-0
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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About the Authors

Linda Criddle is an internationally recognized expert in online safety
and teaches extensively in schools and universities. Linda is the author,
along with Nancy Muir, of the award winning book Look Both Ways:
Help Protect Your Family on the Internet (Microsoft Press, 2006). She has
also developed an online course titled Internet Safety for Educators being
offered through Washington State University and The University of
Alaska. Linda has worked with governments, law enforcement, and com-
panies around the world and is a frequent speaker at Internet-safety
related conferences worldwide. Her company, LOOKBOTHWAYS, Inc.,
develops software, consults with companies, governments, and law
enforcement on Internet safety, and writes educational curriculum.
Learn more at their Web site, www.ilookbothways.com.

Nancy Muir has worked with Linda Criddle on Internet safety-related
projects for the past three years, co-authored two books with Linda, and
developed and taught an online course. Nancy has written over fifty
technology and business books, and produced video programming for
major corporations such as IBM and Symantec. Prior to her writing
career Nancy was a publishing executive with several major technology
book publishers including John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and MacMillan
Publishing. Nancy has taught technical writing at Purdue
University/Indiana University, and holds a certificate in Distance
Learning Design from The University of Washington. She currently over-
sees content development for LOOKBOTHWAYS, Inc.

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Authors’ Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank project editor Blair Pottenger for his able
stewardship of this project and his flexibility in working towards the
best book possible. Thanks also to Katie Mohr and Greg Croy, acquisi-
tions editors for the book, for believing in the need for a safer online
world and this book. A tip of our hats also to Joyce Nielsen, technical
editor, for an eagle-eyed review, and to copy editor Heidi Unger, whose
wordsmithing skills kept our writing literate.

A special thanks to Linda’s mom and dad, Richard and JoAn Criddle, for
their prodding to get this book written, and for the inspiration and
guidance they gave along the way.

Dedication

The authors wish to dedicate this book to all the brave 50+ folks who
are jumping online to discover all the Internet has to offer and helping
to make the online world a safer one through vigilance and good online
citizenship.

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Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at
http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care
Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions and Editorial

Project Editor: Blair J. Pottenger

Executive Editor: Greg Croy

Acquisitions Editor: Katie Mohr

Copy Editor: Heidi Unger

Technical Editor: Joyce Nielsen

Editorial Manager: Kevin Kirschner

Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth

Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Katie Key

Layout and Graphics: Sarah Philippart

Proofreader: Nancy L. Reinhardt

Indexer: Broccoli Information Management

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director

Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

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Table Of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

About This Book.........................................................................................1
Foolish Assumptions..................................................................................1
Why You Need This Book..........................................................................2
How This Book Is Organized.....................................................................3
Get Going! ..................................................................................................4

Part I: The Foundation of Using the Internet Safely ....................5

Chapter 1: Understand What’s Going On Out There..............................7

Congratulations: You’re the Most Sought-After Generation Online.......8
Roads Have Rules, The Internet Doesn’t .................................................10
Online Anonymity ...................................................................................12
It’s Not Always about Technology; It’s Often about Behavior...............14
Hit or Myth: Online Information Exposure...........................................16
Keep Your Information Private................................................................18
How Information Accumulates...............................................................18
Online Information Is Forever.................................................................21

Chapter 2: How the Internet Views You ..............................................23

Understand the Online Financial Model................................................23
What Information Do Others Want, and Why?.....................................25
How Posted Information May Be Used against You..............................26
Set Boundaries for Information Exposure..............................................27
How Web Sites Use Demographics.........................................................29
How Search Engines Use Your Information ...........................................31
Understand Terms and Conditions.........................................................32
Quizzes and Surveys.................................................................................34
Protect Yourself.........................................................................................36

Chapter 3: Raise Your Safety Bar Today..............................................39

Avoid Online Chain Letters.....................................................................39
Don’t Play Russian Roulette with Links..................................................41

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Using the Internet Safely For Seniors For Dummies

Create Safer E-Mail Aliases ......................................................................44
Use Passwords Wisely ..............................................................................46
Recognize Weak Passwords......................................................................47
Create Strong Passwords..........................................................................48
Beware of Simple Password Hints...........................................................50
Figure Out Who’s Exposing You..............................................................51
Be Careful What You Share Online.........................................................52
Avoid Risky Default Settings....................................................................54
Spot Bad Sites a Mile Away......................................................................56
Understand the Risks in Contests and Sweepstakes ..............................58

Part II: Using the Internet While Dodging the Risk...................61

Chapter 4: Navigating the Internet Safely...........................................63

Choose the Best Browser for You ............................................................64
Identify Secure and Trusted Web Sites....................................................67
Explore Browser Navigation ....................................................................68
Use Tabs in Browsers ................................................................................71
Set Up a Home Page ................................................................................72
Add a Web Site to Favorites .....................................................................74
Organize Favorites....................................................................................75
View Your Browsing History....................................................................76
Search the Internet ...................................................................................78
Search Within a Web Page.......................................................................80
Use Caution with Internet Ads................................................................82
Avoid Download Theft and Plagiarism...................................................85
Download Safely ......................................................................................86
Customize Browser Security Settings ......................................................87

Chapter 5: Risk-Free E-Mail................................................................89

E-Mail Safety Basics..................................................................................90
Create an E-Mail Account ........................................................................92
Create Safe E-Mail Aliases........................................................................97
Hide Your Name in E-Mails.....................................................................99
Send an E-Mail........................................................................................101
Add an Attachment.................................................................................103

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