If you enjoy reading this newsletter as much as I do writing it,
pass it on to all your friends and family. As always, this
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error, reliable removal instructions are at the bottom.
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In this issue:
1. Latest press release.
2. SurfSafely.com goes to Comdex!
3. Computer virus update
4. Product review, AOL 7.0 parental controls.
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For immediate release
Saturday, Sept 21, 2002
SurfSafely.com celebrates 3 years of continued service!
We're three years old! Since September of 1999, SurfSafely.com has
been the catalyst that many web developers needed to voluntarily
label their online content and remains to this day the only Family
Friendly web directory reserved solely for PICS labeled content.
Today our directory boasts nearly 25,000 labeled web sites and
receives approximately 300,000 unique visits per month from almost
10,000 referring web sites in all corners of the globe.
"Congratulations to SurfSafely on this anniversary. Their
search engine and wider network are a clear demonstration of
how content providers' self-labelling using the ICRA system
can be used effectively to offer a tailored online service
that meets the demands of its users."
Phil Archer - ICRA
We're proud to be a part of the online movement toward
conscientious web publishing and responsible content selection
within our homes and schools. Together with the PICS labeling
authorities ICRA and SafeSurf, third party review authorities
such as iWatchdog and our good friends at Rackspace, our
expectations are high for a safer online community for us all.
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2. SurfSafely.com Goes to Comdex!
I am pleased to announce that SurfSafely.com has been invited by
Positive Image News & Reviews to exhibit as a guest with them at
Comdex Fall in Las Vegas November 18-22. If you have the chance,
please come see us at booth #10836.
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3. Computer virus updates
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I stress this point in almost every newsletter I send and I can
not stress it enough. If you do not have antivirus software, get
it. If you haven't updated your virus definitions lately, most
are free. Do it now.
Because I use a free anti-spam email client called Mail Washer (Get
it at http://www.mailwasher.net) I'm fairly immune to computer
viruses being passed around via email, even new ones not contained
my current virus definition files.
Case in point, Bugbear. I didn't even know a new virus was making
it's rounds. All I knew was I could tell certain email contained
a virus because they're very easy to spot on the MailWasher preview
list before downloading to my computer. Every now and then I'll
download them anyway just to see if my antivirus software will
catch it. Most times it does. This time it didn't. The reason
is because I had not updated my definition files in several months.
So I downloaded the update, installed it, then rescanned my entire
email program directory. Sure enough, there it was. A new virus
called Bugbear.
Don't let the cute name fool you. THIS IS A HIGH RISK VIRUS! Read
more about it at http://www.mcafee.com/anti-virus/viruses/bugbear/
Had any of my children received an email with the virus attached to
it, my computer might be toast right now. That's a risk I simply
can't afford to take so I will be much more diligent in keeping
those files fresh. With more than 1000 votes tallied, 53% of users
who responded to the question "Has your computer ever been infected
by a virus?" said Yes. It's a sobering statistic. Even I am
surprised by the high percentage.
Here's another sobering statistic. Email viruses are clever. They
get passed around because too many users are easily fooled by their
trickery. Out of 50 or so email I receive daily, fully 10% of them
have a virus attached. That's 5 email every day knocking but not getting in.
How many are knocking at your door? Can you afford to
let one in? You never fully realize the value of the information
you create and store within a computer until you lose it.
Here's hoping you won't have to learn that lesson the hard way.
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4. Review: AOL 7.0 Parental controls
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My long awaited review of the new and improved, latest and greatest, better
then ever AOL 7.0 is finally becoming a reality. Let me say right up front that
even though I find the content offerings
somewhat limited compared to what's available on the "open web",
for most individuals AOL is still a very good place to start. So
good is it that many may never outgrow it.
I haven't really taken a good look at AOL since v5.0. I've been
using AOL on and off since way back when it was version 1.2, then
1.5 built on some odd Windows-like platform starting with a "G".
(Geo-something, I think.) AOL has always done a very good job of
creating a simple user interface with easy to find, logically
arranged content. Much the same as a library brings together
information in one place, indexed and easy to find, AOL brings
online content together. 7.0 is no different. The look and feel
is much like that of the Windows operating system itself. Very
familiar. Highly refined. Very easy to navigate.
Users logged on under the account holder's primary screen name
have an easy time of setting parental controls. Secondary screen
names created as child accounts have no way to access content the
primary user has prohibited, so long as they are logged on AS the
child user. I was not able to find any way to get around the
parental controls while logged on as a child. No downloadable
programs to defeat the controls, no back doors that plagued
earlier versions.
The controls themselves offer a fair amount of customization,
although many of the settings still fall into the trap of being
value based rather than object based. What this means is rather
than defining WHAT is being blocked, someone else has made a value
judgement on behalf of all users what material is suitable for
certain age groups and what is not. The problem with this is
their values may be completely different from yours. By letting
others choose for you, you give up some of your own freedom to
choose for yourself.
Object based filtering systems such as the ICRA filter that
describe what is being blocked, rather than who for, allow users
to make the value judgements for themselves. The down side is
users need to take some responsibility and make a decision. Sad
but true is the fact that most people are just too lazy to care.
They regard it as someone elses' job. As long as that someone
has done their job then it's fine with them..... UNTIL that
someone makes a decision the user does not agree with. Then it's
too late. The user has already given up his right to decide.
Very dangerous ground.
AND, while the back doors have been closely guarded, AOL has
forgotten the front door. It is wide open. How? Ever notice
the "Guest" logon? It's there to allow visitors to your home to
log on using their account privileges on your computer.
Interesting concept but what happens if a child gets their hands
on a screen name and password belonging to another? THEY have
the same access privileges! Most likely full access. While AOL
claims to strictly forbid it, screen name swapping is common.
It's easy and almost impossible for AOL to detect unless there
are many simultaneous logons with the same screen name.
All AOL would have to do to close this gaping hole in their
security is allow the primary account holder to password protect
or disable access to the guest account logon. As it is they cannot
and according to the representatives I contacted at AOL, there are
no plans to do so. Please forgive my expressing personal sentiment
here but there's no other way to describe this than just plain
stupid.
AOL email.
Like most email clients (Outlook, Messenger, Eudora, etc) AOL's
email is fairly straight forward. The biggest problem I face is
most users don't know how to make the best use of all of the
features offered. Forwarded email (urban legends, funny jokes,
cute poems, get rich quick schemes, virus warnings and hoaxes,
you name it) are a prime example. Because of the sheer number of
members, AOL must deal with an enormous amount of email abuse
handling. I sympathize with their plight but at the same time can
not ignore the consequences of the measures they have had to take
to combat the problem.
When an AOL member want's to complain to AOL about abusive email
or spam, the policy is to "Forward" the message for review. The
mechanism of "Forwarding" in AOL does not permit the user to edit
the body of the original message. This way, AOL abuse personnel
have at least some measure of assurance that the message forwarded
to them has not been electronically altered.
But what happens when an AOL member "Forwards" a message to you?
Every part of the original message gets forwarded. There are
often dozens, sometimes hundreds of email addresses within the
body of the original message. And what do most AOL users do to
forward it? They forward it "To:" everyone in their addresses
book. So, not only did they forward the email addresses sent
to them but they just added every person in their own address
book to that ever growing list of addresses getting passed around
to God-only-knows-who!
Here's the problem. They may know people who do not know each
other, who may not WANT to know each other, and who CERTAINLY do
not want their addresses being given out casually like this.
People who do compromise not only their own privacy but they sell
out their friends as well. Spammers actually create these types
of email with the sole intent of receiving them back with all
those fresh email addresses attached to them, handed over to them
on a silver platter as it were.
Other email clients make it easy to edit out unwanted material
from forwarded messages. You just highlight and delete it before
sending. BLIND COPY is called BCC: in most other software (Short
for Blind Carbon Copy).
If you must, the CORRECT way to forward such email in AOL is to
first copy only that portion of the original message you want to
forward to the Windows clipboard. Next, compose a NEW message.
Paste the contents of the clip board to the body of the new email
and BLIND COPY it to your friends. Because AOL does not permit
you to leave the "To:" field blank just put yourself in there.
It's okay to send yourself a copy. By using BLIND COPY, none of
your friends will see the email addresses of all of your other
friends, just as it should be.
Seem simple? You bet it is! Will most people do it? No chance!
As I wrote earlier, people are lazy. It's simpler to forward and
send it to everyone. If you've ever found your inbox stuffed with
spam and wondered how your address ever got added to all those
lists, perhaps you need look no further than your own circle of
"friends" who through ignorance gave your private information away.
And people wonder, my own family even, many of whom subscribe to
this newsletter, why I refuse to give out my REAL email address.
Well, this is why. Because many of them just don't understand
the consequences of their actions. This is not a game for me.
I do not want my address handed over to strangers. And that's
exactly what many do because AOL makes it difficult for them to
do it any other way.
There are many other ways spammers get their hands on valid email
addresses which I discuss in my book Child Safety-Net. This is
just one of the many tools in their arsenal, one that I hope to
disarm them of.
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Next newsletter
==================
Next time, along with the regular features I plan to have a little
more fun and review a couple of MP3 creation tools I promised the
authors I would long ago but never had the chance.
If anyone has suggestions for other software you'd like to see
reviewed, please send them along to me at news@surfsafely.com.
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That's news for now.
Be informed,
Be involved,
Be well.
Sincerely,
Mark Brasche
Founder and CEO,
SurfSafely.com
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