➟ If you use a Web camera with IM, be careful that you
don’t expose visual information to a stranger, such
as the location of your home or office, images of
your home that expose your financial status, or your
possessions.
➟ If anyone sends you inappropriate material, report it.
If you need to document the material to report it to
the police, don’t shut down the computer; instead,
minimize the application or turn off the monitoronly
and seek advice on how to report the occurrence.
Inform your ISP (Internet service provider) and the
police, if appropriate.
➟ Be cautious about meeting up with someone you
know only through IM. If you decide to meet some-
one, never go alone, meet in a busy public place, and
make sure your loved ones know where you’re going
and when to expect to hear from you. Always have
your cell phone handy.
➟ Think about how to use the IM features safely. For
example, some IM games may contain mature mate-
rial, and you might want to limit voice and video
interactions with people you haven’t met.
➟ One great feature that also has great risk in IM is the
ability to give someone else remote access to your
computer. This is great if you need help fixing some-
thing that isn’t working. Just make sure that you
totally trust the person you’re giving access to.
Remember that you need to trust two things: that she
won’t make the problem worse and that she won’t
snoop through everything you’ve stored on your com-
puter. Never give anyone but the most trusted individ-
uals this kind of access to your computer via IM.
➟ Report harassment or bullying to your IM service
provider. As in real life, this is unacceptable behavior,
and in some cases, it can be illegal. Every service
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Chapter 7: Sharing Your Information with Others