Using the Internet Safely For Seniors

gaming: Playing or participating in online games.

grooming: The systematic way in which sexual or financial predators

manipulate their victims into trusting and depending on them. Sexual

predators groom with the goal of meeting a contact in person.

Grooming usually involves invoking sympathy, using subtle techniques

to alienate the victim from others, and flattery. Grooming might also

involve money or gifts.

GSM (Global System for Mobile communications): A digital cellular

telephone technology. This system is used mainly in Europe, Australia,

and the Middle East, and it is now becoming popular in the United

States.

H

handle: (as in blog handle) A nickname that an Internet user chooses to

display to others online.

I

identity theft (ID theft): Stealing someone’s identity in order to imper-

sonate him/her, usually for financial gain.

instant messaging: A real-time, text-based communication used on

desktop computers, cell phones, and other devices to send short mes-

sages between individuals.

interactive gaming: The act of playing games online, interacting with

other players. The term covers a broad spectrum of activities, from chil-

dren’s games to online gambling.

Internet: The large network of computer servers that host and enable

the transmission of information via computer connections.

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