New Haven Independent

Thomas, the business development executive of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce spoke these words Tuesday as part of a program called “Take Back the Net,” aimed at raising awareness of privacy and safety issues related to the internet.

The guest of honor was Connecticut Attorney Richard General Blumenthal, who spoke of his work co-chairing a nation-wide task force, made up of all fifty attorneys general, addressing the problem of sexual predators targeting children through online sites like Myspace.

Thousands of convicted sex offenders have Myspace accounts under their real names, said Blumenthal (pictured). His task force has forced Myspace and Facebook to start taking these registered offenders off the site and has also taken steps to ensure more parental control and age verification. “If we can if we can put a man on the moon, we can check the age and identity of someone on this site and we can help safeguard our children from those predators,” he said.

Blumenthal also spoke of action the state is taking against Charter Communications cable company on consumer privacy grounds. “They are beginning a test program where they take your internet activity information—where you go on the internet, where you visit, what you buy—and they sell that information to a third party advertiser that can then collect it and compile it and use it to target you with phone calls or pop up ads,” he explained. Blumenthal said the program may violate privacy legislation, specifically the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Cable Communications Act.

Blumenthal advocated a community policing approach to the internet. “You’re the eyes and ears,” he said. “When you see something that troubles to you, it ought to bother me. I can’t guarantee it’s breaking the law, but we’ll make sure we take some kind of action to determine whether it breaks the law, and what can be done to stop it.”

“Just like you do block watches in your communities, we need block watches on the internet,” he said, “because good old-fashioned looking out for your neighbor, which is also looking out for yourself, has a real role on the internet as well.

Allan Da Costa Pinto, from Microsoft, gave a brief presentation with tips about internet security dangers such as phishing, spyware, and viruses. He advocated that residents protect their computers, their families, and themselves with technology such as firewalls and anti-virus software, as well as smart behavior on the web. “No one in this room is going to win the fifty million dollars promised to us from the Nigerian dictator,” he said with a smile.
The panelists took questions from the audience, comprised mostly of residents of the senior center. One wanted to know how seniors can get access to computers where they can learn and practice the practices Da Costa Pinto described.

Darcy Cobb, director of elderly services for the city, reported that a state social services grant for the coming fiscal year will provide for computer labs at West River and Atwater senior centers. The Dixwell-Newhallville Senior Center was not chosen because of its proximity to the Stimson Public Library, which offers free internet access. Free computer classes are also offered through Gateway Community College and Yale University.

On the way out, Dorothy M. Wilson, a Hamden resident, stopped Da Costa Pinto (both pictured) to get more details about defending against pop-ups. “He gave me a lot of ideas,” she said. “This was just a wealth of information.”