The Internet is like a big city. There are good parts of town and there are bad parts of town. There are parts of town where you can let your children run free, and parts your family should definitely avoid. There are parts of town that look great until a bad guy jumps out and grabs you. There are parts that look a little sketchy, but are perfectly safe.
There lies our quandary: it’s getting more difficult to tell the good from the bad as the Internet and the devices we use on it become more powerful and sophisticated, yet, at the same time, so dumbed down that “even a cave man can do it.” Put a different way, so dumbed down that even college professors can’t tell when they’re about to get in trouble. War zones look like playgrounds, dooming the innocent as the bad guys laugh their way to the bank.
In February of 2008 I taught my first class on computer safety and Internet security at our local library. I had made some comments about how the library should add computer safety to their class lineup, which led to them asking if I would teach such a class, which I’ve been doing ever since. During the past eight years I’ve had the honor of being invited to present my class at other libraries around the state, including Oklahoma City, Moore, Del City, Sapulpa, Choctaw, Mustang, Claremore, Edmond and Bethany.
The class I teach now, “Fight the Internet Bad Guys and Win,” is dramatically different from what I presented eight years ago. The Internet has seen drastic changes, not all of them good. Criminals have discovered it’s much easier to scam clueless computer users online than it is to confront and rob them in person on the street. Crimes and threats coming from the Internet are now among “the most serious economic and national security challengeswe face as a nation,” according to our President, and he’s right.
Everyone needs the information presented in my class; all ages, all walks of life. Bring the kids, please; they need this more than ever. You may think I’m blowing my horn too much about the thing, but honestly, it pains me to see otherwise innocent people scammed, ripped off, tricked and abused by evil crooks when it is so easy to learn how to stay out of trouble. Our local library and Republic Bank are doing a great service by sponsoring my class and making it available for free to the public. If you think you already know all there is to know and your magic cloak will shield you, come find out if you are right.
Visit the downtown Norman Public Library on Tuesday, January 19th at 6:30 p.m. and take my free class called “Fight the Internet Bad Guys and Win.” In it, I will teach you how to play with the fire that is the Internet and not get burned. Seating is limited. Reserve your seat by calling the library at (405) 701-2696, or visit their website at pioneerlibrarysystem.org/norman for more information.