abuse

Internet safety messages - one size does not fit all

One problem with most of today's Internet safety messaging campaigns is that there is only one set of messages for the entire population of youth and parents. But, an extensive literature review conducted by the Internet Safety Technical Task Force Research Advisory Board found that "not all youth are equally at risk" and that "those experiencing difficulties offline, such as physical and sexual abuse, and those with other psychosocial problems are most at risk online."

To be effective, the Internet safety community has to find ways tailor its messages based on particular risk factors. Not … Read more

Jeremy Mayfield makes Daytona 500

If you've been keeping up with sports news, you might know that roughly a week ago NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield (#41) and members of his pit crew were suspended indefinitely for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy. Tough break for Mayfield as he was seemingly on a roll this year. In fact, this video originally produced by ESPN2 shows Mayfield's run to compete in this year's 2009 Daytona 500. He managed to qualify, but with his suspension in effect, no one can be sure what the future holds as of now. But hey, we all make mistakes, … Read more

The 404 162: Where Michael Phelps can swim faster than we can run

On today's show: Heroic and controversial news from the 2008 Summer Olympics, Michael Phelps dominates the competition, Chinese gymnasts gettin' shady wit it, child abuse in the form of gymnastics training, the great bigfoot unveiling, Favre team traitor trading, Hawaii Five-0 remake, and submission from our 404 GoAnimate competition!

I know that we've talked almost nonstop about the Olympics this week, but we have to considering all the crazy controversy going on this year. I actually can't remember the last time I've heard so much news about the Olympics that didn't have to do directly … Read more

The 404 148: Where MTI is livid and covered in toilet paper

Mark is finally back from his 10 year sabbatical, so we have him on as a guest on today's show to talk about the much deserved practical joke we pulled on him (see post below). He also gives a shout out to Papa Licea and tells us a few stories about his trip. The rest of us get into a rather heated discussion about RoboCop and Batman, give a public service announcement on child abuse, reminisce about a time not so long ago when we worked for pennies, and daydream out loud about all the sinister things we could … Read more

The 404 146: Where Wilson's optimism is making us nauseous

Every time Wilson smiles, an angel loses its wings. Critics agree, Wilson is the reason Christian Bale beat up his family. But seriously though, c'mon Christian, was worldwide fame and fortune not enough for you? Did Warner Brothers not include a "maternal abuse" clause in the contract there, guy? Unbelievable. Needless to say, we express our disappointment with Mr. Bale regarding this breaking news, and also comment on the Japanese trend of upskirt iPhone pics, mourn the death of the local coffee shop, and warn our young viewers about the dangers of lighting your friends' pants on … Read more

Are you a perpetrator of workplace printer abuse?

According to a new survey released today, about 60 percent of the Canadian workforce is making personal use of their office printer.

The survey, conducted by Angus Reid Strategies for Samsung Electronics revealed that a large majority of Canadians who work in offices with high volume laser printers aren't using them for memos and work-related e-mails, but rather for personal letters, color photos, and even *gasp* resumes! The study breaks down the percentage of people that print out random documents:

I think it's safe to assume that the reason for all this work-printer abuse is because of the … Read more

Finding the line between activism and reporting

A few weeks ago, I brought you news that Indiana's Governor had signed into law HB 1197, a data breach and encryption bill that I worked on.

What I have not revealed, up until now is the coercion and arm-twisting that accompanied the passage of this bill. While the details may not surprise jaded readers, it certainly gave me a reason to dislike the entire process, as well one particular power-tripping legislator. Now that the bill, albeit a significantly slimmer version, has become law, I'm free to tell the story.

As regular readers of this blog know, I … Read more

Spyware abuse includes domestic abuse says McAfee

On Thursday, the Anti-Spyware Coalition will meet in Washington. Included will be experts from McAfee, Google, and the Pew Internet & American Life project to discuss the latest in spyware trends. In addition to the well-known damage caused by spyware--hawking advertising, stealing passwords, and slowing down PCs--McAfee is calling attention to a little known aspect of spyware: domestic abuse.

"Using spyware for surveillance in cases of domestic abuse is a serious matter," says Anna Stepanov, who manages the Anti-Spyware program at McAfee Avert Labs. She's written a report titled Spyware: A Morphing Campaign (in PDF), which chronicles … Read more

Online safety needs to go beyond 'Don't talk to strangers'

As a previous generation of children was given the blanket advice "Don't talk to strangers," today's kids are told "never give out your personal information online." A new study suggests that this well-intentioned advice is not sufficient to protect children from unwanted sexual solicitation and harassment. The study comes to the controversial conclusion that sharing information online is not correlated with victimization. Many other online safety experts maintain that privacy protection is always a good first line of defense, though clearly not the only step.

The study, published in the February 2007 issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine and reported by the AP, found that victimization is likely to be associated with online behavior such as talking about sex with people met online, or intentionally embarrassing someone else on the Internet. … Read more

Voyeurs 'R Us: What parents need to know about Stickam

My recent posting about child abuse concerns inherent in "$100 laptop" distribution in the developing world elicited strong responses both in favor and against my position. A new report about the ties between a live Webcam chat site, Stickam.com, and a large online pornography conglomerate underlines the seriousness of these risks, hitting us close to home here in the United States.… Read more