Archive for 2012

Recently, the very affluent community of Clayton, Missouri made national news when Clayton High Principal Louise Losos created a fictitious Facebook page and friended students and parents. After the page was discovered—and erupted into controversy—Principal Losos resigned. I know this suburban St. Louis community very well.  When I was Commander of the Missouri ICAC Task…Continue Reading

For years, we’ve been warning kids to be careful about what they post on Facebook or My Space, in part because prospective employers, college admission officers, and others were looking.  Your Facebook might enhance your reputation and get you that job or it might raise alarms and prevent you from attending the college of your…Continue Reading

Understanding how to manage your online reputation or “digital footprint” is tricky business, even for those of us who have been using the internet for a long time. Almost everyone at one time or another has been guilty of sharing too much information or posting a photo that later makes us cringe. To complicate matters…Continue Reading

Celebrities like Sandra Bullock, Megan Fox, Christian Bale, and Lady Gaga have more in common than just being famous—they were also all bullied growing up. “I was called really horrible, profane names very loudly in front of huge crowds of people, and my schoolwork suffered at one point,” Lady Gaga said in an interview with…Continue Reading

The mobile platform is revolutionizing the way social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Foursquare, etc. are accessed by their ever growing number of users – which range from several different age groups from children to adults. There are more and more people using these networks on their mobile devices, rather than on their…Continue Reading

“My child spends too much time on the computer!” “I wish video games weren’t so addicting for my kids!” “My kids are texting instead of practicing piano!” I’m sure every parent has thought at least some variation of these battle cries, and likely has uttered them in frustrated moments.  We live in a technology-saturated world,…Continue Reading

Mobile device users with an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad are sometimes hit with a surprise on their credit card bill. In-app purchases can occur without warning. Can you imagine receiving a credit card bill for more than $2,000 and realize it was for free apps on your child’s device? In fact, that is what…Continue Reading

iKeepSafe’s Director of Global Initiatives, Robyn Treyvaud, gave the keynote address at this year’s 21st Century Learning Conference. The conference, hosted in Hong Kong, attracts educators from around the globe to interact with ideas and experiences designed to make them better informed and enthused to bring out the best in the digital native learners they…Continue Reading

Were Aristotle were around today, I doubt he would be surprised by the amount of time young people spend with their digital devices. In 350 BC he wrote, “man is by nature a social animal,” and since then nothing much has changed except that a large portion of our social bonding now takes place online,…Continue Reading

Earth Day may be over, but our responsibility to a single, shared planet is an everyday endeavor.  Kids know this more than anyone.   While kids today benefit from a connected world where real-time news is available instantly, they also struggle to make sense of an information avalanche related to the fate of the polar bears…Continue Reading

The internet can be a wonderful tool for social connections. But do you know enough about online privacy? Do you “overshare” in posts? A surprising study by “Reputation Management and Social Media” in 2010 revealed that adults are more likely to post revealing information than children or teens.  Parents scrutinize, chastise, and teach the youth…Continue Reading

Faux Paw the Techno Cat is returning to the University of Maryland today, for her sixth visit to Maryland Day, the free open house event where the university invites the entire region to “Explore Our World.” “Maryland Day is a fantastic way to explore the University of Maryland,” said University of Maryland President Dr. Wallace…Continue Reading

The United States Patent and Trademark Office is the official government entity that governs organizations’ intellectual property and assets. Last week, they featured Faux Paw at their annual National Trademark Expo, along with other famous trademarks, such as the M&M figures, Crayola crayons, Coca-Cola symbols, etc.  As seen below, the USPTO boasts that intellectual property…Continue Reading

Marsali Hancock featured in Video Pornography is a pandemic ruining lives, marriages and families. In a united effort to educate the public on the harms of pornography and provide tools for support, Be Aware: PORN HARMS launched their third annual National Awareness Campaign this month. The campaign offers free posters and events. For example, one…Continue Reading

Marsali Hancock, iKeepSafe CEO and President, is co-presenting tonight with Jay Opperman, Senior Director of Security and Privacy at Comcast, in Scottsdale, Arizona at the 30th  annual “Protecting our Children” National Indian Conference on Child Abuse. The name of their presentation is “Empowering Your Tribal Community Through Safe Internet Use.” The conference, generously sponsored by…Continue Reading

A recent EU Kids Online Survey found that parents who actively mediate their child’s internet use lower risk and, most importantly, lower harm. Active mediation of use means: •    Parents talk to their child about the internet, •    Stay nearby or sit with them while they go online, •    Encourage them to explore the internet,…Continue Reading

Today, in honor of National Cyberbullying Awareness Day, 15-year-old actress and certified child safety advocate Cassandra Perkins is participating in an informative national conversation on internet safety. This free live event will be held from 1:00-3:00 pm (MST) in Parker, CO, at the Parker Recreation Center, 17301 Lincoln Ave, Parker Colorado 80134, and will be…Continue Reading

Since its statewide launch in September 2007, the Michigan Cyber Safety Initiative (Michigan CSI) has educated nearly 1 Million K-8th grade students and another 25,000+ adults through its Community Seminar. iKeepSafe helped create content for this free, award-winning program that offers age-appropriate assemblies conducted by experts working with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. The multi-media…Continue Reading

iKeepSafe CEO & President Marsali Hancock was invited to speak today at Bloomberg’s inaugural Cybersecurity Conference at their global headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, New York. The Bloomberg Cybersecurity Conference examined the increasingly complex network of threats facing public and private enterprises from state and non-state actors and how governments and corporations are defending critical information…Continue Reading

Since its release several weeks ago, people worldwide have been buzzing about the new Angry Birds Space game, which reinvents the modern classic with an innovative new physics engine. The gameplay isn’t the only groundbreaking part of Angry Birds Space, though – with this release, Rovio launched its first ever youth activism effort, aimed at…Continue Reading