Privacy and safety require that you do not share information about yourself with people you do not know. Private information includes things that you should keep to yourself, or share only with people you trust. For example, if someone you do not know (a stranger) outside your school or in your neighborhood asks you your name or where you live (home address) you should never give this information to this person. Private information includes the following:
- Full name
- Age
- Home address
- Telephone number
- Email Address (or parents' email address
- Where you go to school or after school
- Where your parents work
What else do you think can be considered private?
___________________
___________________
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Remember! It is never safe to give out private information to people you do not know. Storing your information on a computer or filling information on internet forms is just like telling it to a stranger because someone you do not know can view it . Never store private information on an electronic device or fill out internet forms without first determining who will have access to the information. Ask your parents or teacher to help you.
A username is a name you make up so that you can see or do things on a computer or on a website on the internet. It is also called “screen name”.
Some websites ask you for a username before you can play games, communicate with other people or do some activity on the site. You can make up a username instead of giving out private information in your username. Your real name is private, so it should never be part of your username.
You should follow these rules and tips for creating usernames:
Ask a parent or other trusted adult before you create a username.
Never include any private information in your username, such as your real name, age, birthday, name of your school or hometown, parts of your address or phone number, or email address.
Avoid using symbols or spaces, as they are usually not allowed in usernames.
Include the name of something that will help you remember your username, like your favorite animal, character, or toy. You might have to combine this with other words or numbers.
If the username you create is already taken, you will have to come up with another one.
Write down your username and password and, with the help of a parent, find a safe place to keep them in case you forget them.
Create a username for your class partner. You may ask your partner these or similar questions to find out information necessary to make a useful userame.
What is your favorite color?
What is your favorite animal?
What is your favorite number?
For example, someone could using these answers to create a username “bluedog44”. What other interesting usernames can you come up with?