Safeguarding Your Child Online

About the Book

This book is a must-read for every parent, whether you own a personal computer or not.  Your child may be vulnerable to online stranger contact, or unwittingly exposed to online pornography.  He or she is unprotected just the same, in school, at the public library, or at home, wherever he or she signs on to one computer that "talks" to another.  You, the parent, are in the best position to help protect your children from the perils online.

Our government and private industry are pouring billions of dollars into building the Information Superhighway, better known by its street name, the Internet.  It is the fastest growing social phenomenon in the country, indeed the world.  As a parent, you should be aware that dark, seamy byways exist alongside the Information Superhighway.  Men and women who prowl these seedy electronic back alleys around the globe, prey on unsuspecting children, and produce and distribute pornography.

The Internet is only one of many places where your child can access graphic pornographic material online without having to show proof of age.  Not only that, but he or she can do it from the comfort and privacy of his or her bedroom, often free of charge.  Equally alarming is the number of cases where children online have been lured into face-to-face encounters with child molesters.  These online pedophiles are reaching out to children on all manner of electronic networks.

Today's kids are computer-literate, some more so than their parents.  Many children spend unsupervised hours in their homes between the end of the school day and when their parents arrive home from work.  Child molesters go where the kids are; that is their nature.  It's no coincidence that they prowl the Internet.  Child molesters are often social misfits and loners.  The online environment allows child molesters anonymity until they feel safe enough to arrange a face-to-face meeting.  Don't let that meeting be with your child.

The other menace is online pornography, which can be sent directly to your child's computer.  Online pornography exists on the Internet as well as on stand alone Bulletin Board Services (BBSs).  Many individually operated BBSs can be accessed free of charge, by anyone, of any age.  (All that is required is a computer, a modem, and a phone line.)  This is particularly true of adult BBSs because, their operators are as interested in receiving pornography as they are in giving it away.  By providing free access, BBSs induce others to sign-on.  It's like adult-pay-per-view without the bill at the end of the month.  The result is a huge electronic bazaar where individuals liberally exchange pornography.

The hazards are real.  More and more frequently we're confronted with personal stories, news accounts, and newspaper articles that detail the ugliness of the situation.  Online users are encountering sexual harassment, pornography, obscenities, bigotry, and ultimately, child molestation.  I came to write about these issues out of my own concern as a parent, and to my knowledge, this book represents the first comprehensive look at the problems our children face in the online environment.  This book will give you an idea of how widespread the chilling problem of online stranger contact and online pornography really is, and what you can do about it.

In order to validate my own research, and to provide you with the best possible information, I have interviewed dozens of individuals involved with the social issues surrounding online pedophiles, online pornography, children, and the Internet.  The field experts that I have talked to ranged from family counselors and child psychologists, to law enforcement personnel and prosecutors, to online service providers and technical consultants, to avowed online libertarians and anarchists.  There is an ext

About the Author

Dr. Haas holds a doctorate in Public Administration and Policy, a Master’s of Science in Telecommunications, and an MBA as well as undergraduate degrees in business and the arts and humanities, along with special studies in civic leadership (CORO Foundation) and advanced management techniques (Stanford University). Mr. Haas is an independent technical and management consultant who has been engaged by iplannetworks (Buenos Aires), Iusacell (Mexico), SBC Internet Services, Pacific Bell, AT&T, Visa International, Bank of America, Bank of California, Providian, Charles Schwab, Sprint, GTE, Boeing, and a number of other well known companies. His expertise lies in voice, data, and Internet communications.