A Special Report:
Internet Safety
and Your Family
from Assemblyman
David G.
McDonough


An Important Message from Assemblyman David G. McDonough

Dear Friends,

The World Wide Web is one of the greatest modern technological advances of our time, but it is also a double-edged sword. While the Internet allows us to do such things as engage in electronic commerce, conduct research, be entertained, communicate with others and find a myriad of information on just about anything imaginable, it also has its dark side. The Internet not only provides great opportunities for those with good intentions, but is an oasis for criminals as well.

As the ranking minority member of the Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee and a member of the Assembly Minority Task Force on Sex Crimes Against Children and Women, I have become keenly aware of the threat the Internet poses to the safety of our families, our financial information and personal identity.

The ability of users to exchange and gather information from an almost infinite number of sources from around the world is one characteristic that makes the Internet such an attractive resource. However, when information trades hands, the opportunity exists for one individual to take advantage of or harm another. The Internet has the ability to protect anonymity, it is constantly changing and it is interactive. For these reasons it has emerged as fertile space for criminal activity.

Criminals no longer have to confront their victims face to face; the Internet allows them access to every aspect of an intended victim’s personal space from the relative safety of their own Internet connection.

Assemblyman
David G. McDonough
3000 Hempstead Tpke.
Suite 110
Levittown, NY 11756
(516) 731-8830

Sincerely,

David G. McDonough



Assemblyman David G. McDonough
Reports on Internet Safety

Internet Sex Crimes Against Minors Can Be Categorized In Three Mutually Exclusive Types:

    Assemblyman David G. McDonough hears testimony as a member of the Assembly Minority Sexual Assault and Violence Education - NY task force (S.A.V.E.— New York).
  1. Internet crimes against identified victims involving Internet-related sexual assaults and other sex crimes, such as the production of child pornography committed against identified victims

  2. Internet solicitations to undercover law enforcement personnel posing as minors that involve no identified victims

  3. The possession, distribution, or trading of Internet child pornography by offenders who did not use the Internet to sexually exploit identified victims or solicit undercover investigators.

Two-thirds of all offenders who committed any of the three types of Internet sex crimes against minors possessed child pornography: 83 percent of the offenders had images of children between the ages of 6 and 12; and 80 percent had images explicitly showing sexual penetration of minors.

  		• The vast majority of the offenders were white males older than 25 and acting alone

  		• Most investigations, nearly 80 percent, involved more than one law-enforcement agency

  		• State, county and local agencies were involved in 85 percent of all cases, and federal agencies in 46 percent of the cases

  		• The prevailing trend sees fewer dismissals and acquittals for Internet sex crimes against minors than for conventional child sexual-abuse prosecutions.



    What Can You Do To Minimize The Chances Of An Online Exploiter Victimizing Your Children?
  		• Communicate. Talk to your children about potential online dangers.

  		• Spend time with your children online.

  		• Keep the computer in a common room in the house.

  		• Utilize parental controls provided by your service provider and/or blocking software.

  		• Teach your children the responsible use of online resources.

  		• Instruct your children:
    • to never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they met online

    • to never upload pictures of themselves onto the Internet or online service to people they do not personally know

    • to never give out identifying information such as address or telephone number

    • to never download pictures from an unknown source

    • to never respond to messages or bulletin board postings that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent or harassing.



    THREE FACTORS THAT MAKE THE INTERNET ATTRACTIVE TO CRIMINALS

    ANONYMITY

    One factor that makes the Internet so attractive to criminals is that it protects anonymity. The Internet can be accessed from anywhere in the world by anyone with a computer and a modem, and it is nearly impossible to detect where any given user might be located. Compounding the problem is the fact that criminal users of the Internet will disguise their identities and portray themselves as someone else.

    RATE OF CHANGE

    Another factor that makes the Internet viable for criminal activity is that it is constantly changing. Web sites appear, disappear and change on a continuing basis. When a site that contains illegal material or engages in criminal activity is discovered, it can be changed or removed in a matter of seconds.

    INTERACTIVE CAPABILITY

    The final key factor that makes the Internet attractive to criminals is that it is truly interactive. Anyone can, for a very low cost, gain access to the Internet. Accessibility enables criminals to create Web sites containing anything imaginable for the entire world to see. Consumers viewing fraudulent sites respond to offers by sending sensitive personal data, such as credit card information, or checking account or Social Security numbers.



    Consumer Fraud and ID Theft

  		• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received 516,740 consumer complaints during calendar year 2003, up from 404,000 in 2002

  		• These include 301,835 complaints about fraud and 214,905 identity-theft reports

  		• Forty-two percent of all complaints received by the FTC were related to ID theft, up from 40 percent in 2002

  		• Victims of Internet-related fraud reported losses of almost $200 million in 2003, with the median loss being $195

  		• Internet-related fraud accounted for 55 percent of all fraud reports, up from 45 percent in 2002

  		• The Nassau-Suffolk metropolitan area ranks 12th nationally with 2,663 fraud-related complaints, with 96.7 complaints per 100,000 population

  • The Nassau-Suffolk metropolitan area ranks 20th nationally with 2,066 identity theft-related complaints, with 75 complaints per 100,000 population



    What Should You Be Concerned About If You’re Storing Personal Information on Your Computer?

    The following tips can help keep your computer and your personal information safe from intruders:


  		• Update your virus-protection software regularly, or when a new virus alert is announced.

  		• Do not download files sent to you by strangers or click on “hyperlinks” from people you don’t know.

  		• Use a firewall program, especially if you use a high-speed Internet connection like cable, DSL or T-1, which leaves your computer connected to the Internet 24 hours a day.

  		• Use a secure browser software that encrypts or scrambles information you send over the Internet to guard the security of your online transactions.

  		• Try not to store financial information on your laptop unless absolutely necessary. If you do, use a strong password — a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.

  		• Before you dispose of a computer, delete personal information. Use a “wipe” utility program to overwrite the entire hard drive. It makes the files unrecoverable. For more information, see the online document, “Clearing Information From Your Computer’s Hard Drive,” at www.hq.nasa.gov/office/oig/hq/harddrive.pdf, courtesy of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

  		• Look for Web site privacy policies. They answer questions about maintaining accuracy, access, security and control of personal information collected by the site, as well as how information will be used, and whether it will be provided to third parties.

  		• You may be a victim of an Internet crime before you are aware that you have been victimized!


    I hope you find these hints helpful. Remember, if you think you have been a victim of an Internet crime, contact your local police department. If you need more information, I have provided these helpful telephone numbers and Web sites for your convenience.

    Federal Bureau
    of Investigation
    www.fbi.gov

    Federal Trade Commission
    www.ftc.gov

    Consumer Sentinel
    www.consumer.gov

    Consumer Helpline
    (800) 771-7755

    National Center for Missing
    and Exploited Children
    www.ncmec.org

    New York State Attorney General
    www.oag.state.ny.us

    New York State Division of
    Criminal Justice Services
    www.criminaljustice.state.ny.us

    Back