Police offer classes on Internet safety

Courses’ aim is to help parents keep their children and personal information safe while online.The Newport Beach Police Department is taking steps to educate the community on how to stay safe online.

Police are offering two classes: one for adults to learn about maintaining home computer security and another aimed at parents who want to keep their kids safe from online dangers.

Crime Prevention Specialist Andi Querry held the second Internet safety class of the year Wednesday at the Newport Beach Central Library.

Querry’s presentation alerts parents that the Internet is a place where kids can have unsupervised access to people and information that parents may not condone. Kids often provide too much personal information in online forums, such as instant messaging, and a screen name can be reverse-searched on several search engines, yielding home addresses and phone numbers, Querry said.

“Everything we tell the kids not to put out, they’re putting out without even knowing about it,” Querry said.

Querry’s presentation highlights a personal website of an Orange County teenager, designed to provide information about herself to possible college recruiters.

The website, while good in its intention, gives out information that can be accessed by anyone, including strangers, Querry said.

“Where it could be completely innocent, it’s just another unknown,” Querry said.

The goal of the class isn’t to tell parents what to do, but instead to provide them with information as a tool, Querry said.

“I can’t tell them how to parent their kids,” Querry said.

So far, parents have been receptive.

Newport Beach parent and Mariners Elementary PTA president Carrie Young said she hadn’t heard about the classes, but thinks they’re a good idea.

“I think it’s important for parents to be the most knowledgeable they can about how they can safeguard their kids,” Young said.

Young’s children -- twin 11-year-old girls, and a boy, 8 -- are limited in their online usage at home. The family uses a children’s version of America Online that doesn’t allow them to go to some websites, Young said.

In addition to Internet safety classes for parents, police are also offering a class for computer safety.

Querry said she recognized a need to spread public awareness about computer safety after questioning the security of her own home computer.

The course covers computer safety concerns, such as hacking and Internet scams, and what people can do to protect themselves.

The next computer safety class will be held Feb. 22, and an Internet safety class for parents will be held March 22.

For information on class time and locations, call the Newport Beach Police Department, (949) 644-3699.