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Internet Safety: The internet seems harmless as the people we interact with are often on the other side of the world. The idea that someone can harm us from a virtual world seems unthinkable. Governments around the world have within the last two decades have begun to take the internet very seriously . “Cyberterrorism” is one of those phrases that have recently appeared in the news or within government publications. Y ou may have heard of Destributed Denial Of Service(DDOS) attack where army’s of zombie computers send information that overloads a server, but you probably have not heard of Permanent Denial of Service(PDOS) attack where hardware can be destroyed and all of your information can be lost in a matter of moments. Just as the world is a jungle out there, so is cyberspace and there are things we need to do to protect ourselves. The internet is a marvelous place to make a difference with a collective of voices with a variety of mediums. The dangers online should never deter you from speaking out against injustices. It is knowing about the dangers and being able to protect ourselves whilst speaking out against injustices that is the real key and the stronger we are for that. Being sensible about our online identities and maintaining our privacy is important, but it should never stop you from being able to speak freely, in fact it is anonymity that gives us a freedom to speak without retaliation for our thoughts on particular matters. It is an important factor that must be guarded for our own freedom and safety . As much as there are programs on the internet designed to trace our activities, there are also programs designed to protect them too. Security has been described by some in the field as something that is not foolproof, but something we must constantly negotiate with on the net. For instance, the echolon project has a powerful technology that can search through the worlds hard-rives to find specific information. If your computer is n ot encrypted, you may be vulnerable to military analysis and with such a past, one cannot always guarantee that their invasion in your privacy is to protect the people from acts of terrorism. The word terrorism has become a politically diluted term that has been used against human rights activists and recently media outlets. It was only recently that I came across a young women who was charged with terrorism because she stood in front of a bulldozer to stop them from cutting down the trees. She posed no threat to the comm unity, but she posed a threat to the economic interests of government and challenged its power. Reportedly, a seven year old was placed upon Americas national terrorist watch list for having issues during her flight. Whilst there are legitimate reasons for government to deal with some acts as terrorism, there is a growing pile of evidence with cases that are not legitimate. It is why it is important that in these times, to protect ourselves not only from perpetrators from all professions and walks of life, but also from authorities that are not accountable right now . We have seen this within the judicial system and some have seen much much more. Regardless of the challenges, we have a growing community of battered mothers, children that have been abused through the system and so together we have the capacity to make a huge difference. The need to protect ourselves and our children is a powerful force beyond what is done to us, beyond the cruelty , degrading and inhumane treatment. We are not just advocates for our children as mothers, but we are all human rights advocates. We are all humanitarians, because we want to protect our children and most of all we want to protect what we gave to the world and that is life. That itself is a formidable force. So use this guide well, read through the links and arm yourself with protections so that you can raise your voice to the world too.
