Online Safety Tips

Angelina:_vip::_trusted_user::_sitefriend::_female::_sitelover::_junkie::_kitty::_sun::_turtle:Posted at 2018-04-08 08:17:55(350Wks ago) Report Permalink URL 
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The Internet can be a wonderful place to meet people and have fun, but  one of the attractions of the Internet is the anonymity of the user. This is why it can also be such a dangerous place. There are several types of dangers. People have been known to have their identity stolen, be stalked by sexual predators or have their photos taken from their online profiles and used in unauthorized ways.

You never really know if the person who is behind the username is really the one they claim to be. And if you have chatted to someone this does not mean you really do know that person.



There are a number of things you can do to keep yourself more safe online. Here are some tips to keep in mind when you are interacting online:


Keep your primary email address private…
Only give your primary email address to people you really know and trust. Use a free email account and make it look like nothing that can be linked to you. Use your free email address instead of your primary one to make accounts. That way you can dispose of the email address if needed when someone is contacting you through email and you want to cut all contact.
These email providers are advised by Torrent Galaxy:
  • Gmail
  • Outlook
  • Yahoo
  • Protonmail, secure email account with end to end encryption
  • Tutanota, secure email account


    Keep your personal Facebook account separate from Torrent Galaxy…
    A lot of personal info can be taken from your Facebook account, especially if you don't have your privacy settings on high. If you do not want other users to know your name and Facebook account, keep it really separate from Torrent Galaxy. Also do not like pages, because your name can become visible if you do that.


    Keep your phone number private…
    Only give your phone number to people you really know and trust. Most of the time your phone number is not something you just switch or get rid of. Not only can someone contact you even when you don't want them anymore (call, WhatsApp or Skype). Your phone number can also be used to find your home address.


    Never give your password to anyone…
    Never give the password of your account here to anyone. Your account is personal. Not even the staff here knows or needs to know your password. If someone should ask for your password, please report them to staff. You can find a  staff member here. Your password is personal and no one else should get access to it. When you do give your password someone could use your account and claim to be you. Doing things with your account and in your name that you do not want.


    Be very careful of placing pictures of yourself online…
    Women especially should not place their pictures online. Some online predators can become obsessed with just a picture. A username, a generic profile picture and a generic signature makes you much less attractive. Also a picture can be used against you or your picture can be used in ways you do not want.


    Give no personal information…
    Never give your name, address or any other personal information to anyone you do not really know and trust. These can be used to find you and your location or to be contacted outside of the site where the staff can not protect you against users with bad intentions.
    If a user tries to gain personal information from you, please inform a staffmember of it. You can find a  staff member here.


    Use a proxy or VPN and never give your ip address…
    Your ip address can be used to find the location where you are of either home, school or work. If possible try to use a proxy or VPN to hide your real location.
    Watch out with Skype as well. If you are not using a proxy or VPN the person you are skyping with can see your ip-adress. More information and help on VPN can be found here.


    Don’t allow users to draw you into conflict…
    If someone tries to draw you into a conflict, ignore it, block the user.


    Ignore unwanted users…
    If anyone bothers you and won’t go away, block and ignore them. If he or she still bothers you when you ignore them or if he/she is making you feel uncomfortable please report them. Also take a look at our online harassment thread here.

    What is cyberbullying?
    Cyberbullying (or cyberharassment) is harassing, threatening or intimidating someone using the internet. It is deliberate and repeatedly.

    Cyberbullying can include, but is not limited to:
  • Sending/sharing nasty, hurtful or abusive messages.
  • Humiliating someone by posting/sharing embarrassing videos or images.
  • Humiliating someone by posting nasty, hurtful or abusive things.
  • Spreading rumors or lies online.
  • Setting up fake online profiles to hurt someone.
  • Excluding someone online.


    What is Internet trolling?
    Internet trolling is a common form of bullying over the Internet. Internet trolls intentionally try to provoke or offend others in order to elicit a reaction.

    Why do people troll?
  • Trolls consider themselves above social responsibility.
  • Trolls consider themselves separate from the social order.
  • True trolls have sociopathic tendencies and they delight in other people having hurt feelings. Trolls do not feel remorse.
  • Trolls gain energy by you insulting them.
  • Trolls gain energy when you get angry.

    How do they troll?
  • Tolls will post abusive and hurtful comments directed at a specific person. This is also called "flaming".
  • Trolls will incite arguments and provoke angry responses by making controversial statements.
  • Trolls will narcissisticly dominate conversations. They are trying to make themselves the center of attention.
  • Trolls will start many off-topic threads, seeking to derail users from the focus of an online community.

    What is an online predator?
    Online predators are individuals who commit abuse that begins or takes place on the Internet. There are many types of online predators. Financial ones who run scams. Stalkers who are hunting for someone vulnerable and easy to exploit. Sexual predators who are looking for victims they can manipulate into providing explicit pictures or meet up for sex.

    Online predators know how to act or blend online so they don’t stand out. They are smart, experienced, effective, master manipulators and very focused. Hiding behind fake identifies, profiles and photos. Online predators access sites through proxy servers/VPN. They want to be anonymous and untraceable.

    Online grooming:
    Online grooming is the predator talking with someone online in a way that elicits trust.  The aim is befriending and establishing an emotional connection with a victim, in order to lower the victim's inhibitions to provide personal information.

    Warning signs of an online predator include:
    1. Agreeing with everything you say “as if you were soul mates” or someone who just “really gets you”. Their main goal is to gain your trust.
    2. Anxious to move from an online site to private method of communication; email, instant messaging, Facebook, Messenger, Whatsapp, Skype, texting or telephone calls.
    3. Asking for personal information, your real name, your age, where you live, where you work, where you went to school, your favorite color and everything else about you. Always ask yourself: "Why do they need to know that?".
    4. Want to know about your emotional state, getting you to pour your heart out to them.
    5. Start talking about how much they like you only after a few chats. They seem to be too interested, too soon. Ask yourself, is this person awkwardly nice?
    6. Trying to disrupt relationships. Suggesting that your friends and family don’t understand, appreciate, or love you - but they can.
    7. They know things about you that you didn’t tell them – they’ve done their research.
    8. They seem to know when and where you are online. They say “I know you were online because I saw your posts” or they are always showing up in the same chat-room.
    9. They go all over your boundaries. Pushing you to do things or say things you do not want to and at times even making it seem that it was your idea and not theirs.
    10. They are giving you a very uncomfortable feeling. Trust your instinct when it is telling you that something is wrong.
    11. They pretend to be the knight in shining armor who has come to dispel the darkness from your world.
    12. Their stories don’t add up. They say things, but their stories don’t make sense.
    13. They ask you for pictures. They might even send you pictures of them. Keep in mind that those pictures could be of anybody. They aren’t necessarily of them. Also they can use your pictures against you.
    14. They might threaten you. If you do not do what they say, they might intimidate or blackmail you to get their way.
    15. They want to see you in a vulnerable state. They ask you things like "what is wrong?" because they love it when you talk to them about something that makes you angry, upset or sad. When you do this, it establishes a sense of trust in their mind.
    16. They stalk you online. This is something you might or might not notice. They look you up on all kinds of social media. Some online predators just watch and others contact you on other sites or tell you that they saw you there.


    Remember that not everyone online is who they say they are...
    Often you are a lot more careful in the 'real world' then you are online. Online users can pretend to be someone different or could be lying. Trust your instinct when it is saying things don't add up or seem to good to be true.


    Watch what you say online…
    Only type things that you would actually say to someone you are meeting face to face. If you would not say it to for example a stranger you meet in an elevator why in the world would you “say” it online?


    Final thought…
    Most important is to use your common sense, be smart and always keep your guard up.

    Last edited by Mafketel on 2020-11-22 16:10:57


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    Post liked by - ArchM, eropiratex11:_kitty::_sun::_turtle:, BearFang:_kitty::_sun:, Sky:_blocked:, bombegranate:_trusted_user::_junkie::_turtle:
    zeke23:_vip::_trusted_user::_sitefriend::_male::_sitelover::_sun:Posted at 2018-07-21 12:17:04(335Wks ago) Report Permalink URL 
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    lets take a minute and read this and stay safe

     
    lostmyticket:_trusted_user::_sitefriend::_male:Posted at 2018-07-21 18:15:11(335Wks ago) Report Permalink URL 
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    Thanks for this Angelina..    There are many ways of keeping yourself anon.