The best way to protect against Internet threats is to simply be aware of the danger, said government and technology leaders Tuesday, Jan. 17 2006, at an Internet protection workshop.

"The biggest thing people can do is know that what they do on the Internet could fall into the wrong hands," said Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. "Before you double-click that mouse, ask yourself, 'Is this safe?'"

"Take Back the Net," a workshop that began in Tampa, Fla., and is now taking place all over the United States, instructed Utahns on how to guard against Internet dangers.

Speakers at the meeting identified phishing, a scam that uses fake e-mails to elicit personal information from consumers; Internet predators and identity theft as the main issues that Internet users should be aware of and guard against.

"I think phishing has to be the biggest concern out there," said Jim Prendergast, executive director of Americans for Technology Leadership, one of the sponsors of the workshop. "It's only through education and training that you can protect yourself."

Internet crimes against children have also taken high priority among government leaders like the attorney general.

"[The issue of Internet security] has been on our priority list for my entire time in office," Shurtleff said. "I could talk for an hour on how dangerous the Net is for children ... the problem is you don't know who you're interacting with."

Technology leaders are also recognizing and attempting to prevent dangers to children on the Internet.

"Particularly when it comes to children, we wanted to give folks real education about how to be safe," Prendergast said. "We're working on it and finally some of the bad guys are being put in orange jumpsuits and shut behind bars."

Another threat discussed was identity theft. One in four households in the nation has experienced identity theft firsthand in the past five years, according to a news release from the attorney general's office.

Information on the attorney general's Web site advises Internet users to protect themselves by safeguarding their personal information, including Social Security numbers, birth dates and passwords, and by checking Internet pages for valid security measures, such as a lock icon and "https" in Web addresses, which signifies that the page is secure.

"Our citizens' good names are being tarnished," Shurtleff said. "It's a massive problem, and we need to make sure we do everything we can to make sure our people are safe."

The workshop was sponsored by the Utah Information Technology Association, Americans for Technology Leadership and ContentWatch.

(For comments, e-mail Elizabeth Kasper at elizabeth.kasper@byu.com)

Copyright Brigham Young University 17 Jan 2006