We need to talk with our children about the moral issues of Internet usage, according to Martha Stansell-Gamm, chief Computer and Intellectual Property crime at the Us Department of Justice - Auckland Herald, Sept 10,03.

Headed "Driving Home the new facts of life using the web", she pointed out that parents do not need to have a high tech understanding of computers to get the message to their children related to criminal behaviours on the Net.

An 18-year-old created the recent msblast virus that in August caused major computer problems right around the world -- including Villagepress which was shut down for a week.

She asked teenagers how they would feel if someone hacked into their emails and private information. They were horrified.  It is possible for many children to hack into key places using hacker programs available through Internet, she said. Children have brought down commerce and government sites.

What may be just fun for a young person may have ramifications far greater than ever envisioned. On a recent TV1 Sunday Theatre drama, a young woman altered cheques sent to the Telephone company she worked for.  She stole a hundred dollars here and there, moving the debt onto big company accounts. All very innocuous, she thought.  However, an unexpected happening led to a bill not being paid, the phone company closing down the customer's phone  and a daughter unable to phone home being murdered.  "From little acorns big trees grow."[- editor]

Parents need to tell their kids that respect for other's property includes the Internet, Ms Stansell-Gamm states. They would never steal CDs but downloading property from the Net was stealing too.
Return to Computing news