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On Tuesday night, NewsChannel 8's Cindy Morrison showed how easy it is to get information from popular social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.
We had one girl, Moriah, who never listed her last name nor where she lives in her Facebook profile. But, in 20 minutes, Sergeant Tim Stadler showed her how easy it is to find out where she lives, even where her bedroom is and a swimsuit photo.
Now, we'll show you why it's so important to protect your kids from cyber stalkers. They can be deadly.
13-year-old Arkansas teen Kacie Woody really enjoyed her friends. And making new ones. But, one so-called friendship on the Internet turned out to be deadly.
"She was communicating on a Christian chat room," says Kacie's father, Rick. "And from a dad's standpoint, who's scared to death that his daughter has reached the teenage years, I'm feeling pretty good that she's safe right here at home."
It was there Kacie met a 17-year-old California boy named Dave who seemed to have so much in common with her. He even talked on the phone with Kacie's best friend, Jessica Tanner.
"I thought he was a really nice guy," Jessica says. "And he acted just like I thought a 17 year old would act."
It turned out. Dave was really 47-year-old David Fuller, a troubled man who eventually drove to Kacie's home in Arkansas. Then kidnapped, raped and killed her.
"It would have been real easy for me to just give up," Rick says.
Instead, police officer Rick Woody now teaches cyber safety seminars in his daughter's honor. His biggest concern? Social web sites like MySpace and Facebook that have become popular since Kacie's death.
"The kids will go out there and put where they are today," Woody says. "Where they were last Saturday. And where they're going to be next weekend. It's just laying it all out there for them."
What what do parents need to know?
"They need to be aware of what their children are putting out here on these sites," he says. "And don't let them put anything on there that can identify them, where they're located and what they look like."
Join these web sites so you can see your child's profile. There should be more than three people in a picture and none of them should be tagged with names, meaning if you roll the mouse over a picture. It specifically gives you their name.
And your child shouldn't use use last names, schools or activities that are too specific. What if your child just doesn't get it? There is software out there, like e-blaster that emails you everything your child does online. In real time -- every password, every web site, every instant message is recorded. It's the same technology some employers use to track employees online.
But Rick Woody believes you should work together with your child and explain why Internet safety could save their life.
"They've got to understand that this is not just rules that law enforcement has come up with just to keep them from having fun. These are rules that will keep them alive."
News Channel 8 is actually teaming up with the Crime Commission for a cyber safety presentation for all Tulsa area schools. We'll show the kids how in as little as 20 minutes we find a the home address of a girl who thought she was careful online. And we'll tell them more about Kacie Woody. Who's life was cut short by the reality of cyber stalkers.
Chances are your kids know a lot more than you when it comes to the Internet. But, there is a website that gives you the cliff notes to online social networking sites and more on how to protect your child on the Internet.
On The Net:
Netsmartz.org
{ts '2008-11-16 00:00:00'}
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