Wayne Denner - Do we really think about or pay attention to our Online Reputation?

Sadly NO! At least we have not begun to take the role of Protecting our Online Reputation seriously. But here’s the thing - once it goes online.. it stays online.

It’s not that it’s difficult to remove. It’s near impossible.

Therefore, Online Reputation, which yours truly has been banging on about on Twitter and Facebook, is serious, and it needs your attention RIGHT NOW.

But Wayne stop being over dramatic. Chill. How could a simple tweet or a Facebook post get me in trouble? Well it can, it does and it may cost you some hard earned $$. $105,000 to be exact in the case of former student of NSW School Andrew Farley who was ordered to pay this amount for “compensatory and aggravated damages” for making false allegations about music teacher Christine Mickle on Twitter & Facebook.   

Cameron wants lessons on cyber-bullying

Pupils should be taught about the dangers of “sexting” and “cyberbullying” as part of updated sex education classes, David Cameron has said. The growing incidence of children sharing explicit pictures of themselves on mobile phones has prompted calls for the warnings to start at primary school.

Some studies suggest that a quarter of teenagers have sent “sexts”, or explicit text messages. Mr Cameron, challenged by MPs yesterday about what ministers were doing to combat the trend, acknowledged there was a need to update guidance. Report in full here.

Stormont debates e-safety forum and calls for schools to teach online safety

Debating Internet Safety Forum and Internet service provider self regulation of adult content @niassembly
— Chris Lyttle MLA (@Chris_Lyttle) February 10, 2014

On February 10 2014 the Northern Ireland Assembly proposed a motion to endorse and support Safer Internet Day 2014 which falls on February 11 and is celebrated worldwide. The motion said:

"Whilst [the internet] poses significant dangers to children and young people, used properly the internet can also positively affect social, economic and educational advancement; acknowledges that all users have a part to play in making the internet a safer and better place for everybody."

The motion made for two interesting recommendations:

1. Calls upon Her Majesty’s Government to encourage a cross-cutting approach to online safety by incorporating it into the school curriculum, by affording parents and carers easy access to sufficient information to take necessary action. 
2. [Encourage] businesses and industry to self-regulate their web-based content and services.

On the Monday evening the Members also discussed the January 22 2014 recommendation from The National Children's Bureau that Northern Ireland create an online e-safety forum and that organisations should improve collaboration to combat the threat. We covered the report and recommendations here.


UPDATE

Members endorsed and have given their support to the motion. Read the debate in full here.

Report calls for e-safety forum and joined-up approach by all concerned with internet safety

National Children's Bureau (NCB) director Celine McStravick called for a more co-ordinated approach

The National Children's Bureau (NCB) has published its report and made two core recommendations.

1. Northern Ireland should create an online e-safety forum to protect young people. 
2. Organisations should improve collaboration to combat the threat. 

The NCB's director, Celine McStravick, said:

"To achieve this level of strategic coordination we recommend the establishment of an e-safety forum for Northern Ireland. The required level of strategic coordination will not be achieved by one organisation working alone. It will only be possible through effective collaboration across the local key players identified in this  There is a role for an independent organisation such as the Safeguarding Board Northern Ireland to take the lead in developing this forum."

The NCB research was done on the behalf of the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland. Following the publication of the report, junior ministers Jonathan Bell and Jennifer McCann called on parents to ensure children stay safe when they go online. Mr Bell said:

"I have no doubt that there isn't a parent or guardian in Northern Ireland who would not admit to moments of anxiety about the potential of either social media, or the web, to inflict catastrophic harm on the young people they have responsibility for. The findings in this unique piece of research will be of significant help in addressing how e-safety messages should be relayed in today's fast moving online community."

Belfast Telegraph report here. The BBC report here.

Cyberbullying should be crime in ROI says Irish report

From the Irish Times:

'The report from the Government’s special rapporteur on child protection, Dr Geoffrey Shannon, says there are few criminal prosecutions of reported harassment involving social networking, email or text messages.'

Read the original article seen above here. Since then a report by an Oireachtas committee has said that cyberbullying and suicide are not necessarily linked and should be treated as separate issues. Read more on that here.