Empowerment Technologies - Rules of Netiquette

Online Safety and Personal Information Sharing
📌 Sharing your full name (first, middle, and last) online poses a high risk for identity theft and advanced searching by malicious actors.
📱 Avoid posting sensitive personal details like your cell phone number, full home address, or parents' names as this data is often used for verification or criminal purposes.
🎂 Revealing your birthday on profiles, although seemingly harmless, increases vulnerability to identity-related scams.
👤 When sharing location information, provide only the municipality and province, not specific details like street or barangay.

Internet Threats and Malware
🦠 Malware (malicious software) includes viruses, worms (like the infamous I Love You worm which caused over $8 billion in damages), Trojans, spyware, keyloggers, and adware.
🎣 Phishing aims to steal personal details like passwords and credit card numbers via deceptive emails, while Farming is a more complex exploitation of DNS systems to redirect users from legitimate sites (e.g., banking sites).
🛑 Be cautious of Rogue Security Software which mimics protection services but actually compromises security, potentially exposing credit card details.
🔗 Avoid clicking links or downloading from untrusted websites or suspicious emails, as these can install malware or facilitate phishing/farming.

Digital Ethics and Online Reputation Management
😇 Adhere to the 10 Commandments of Computer Ethics, which mandate not harming others, respecting intellectual output, and avoiding unauthorized use of resources.
✍️ The internet is forever; information posted online can be archived by search engines, making it crucial to "think before you click."
📸 Before posting content that involves others, secure consent to protect their reputation, as embarrassing moments can impact future employment prospects (companies often conduct social media checks).
✅ To safeguard reputation, set posts to private when possible and pull down or report content that could negatively affect you or others.

Effective Online Research Skills
🔑 When searching online, start with a clear question in mind and use specific keywords to focus your query rather than searching broadly.
🔎 Utilize advanced search features on engines like Google to filter results using criteria such as "all these words," "exact words," or "none of these words."
🔬 Prioritize credible sources such as scientific journals, scholarly databases, and established online encyclopedias over editable content like some wikis.
📚 Always give credit by citing the original author and source URL, even when paraphrasing or interfacing with copyrighted material, to uphold academic integrity and avoid plagiarism.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ Passwords are like underwear: Do not share them, change them often, and keep them private (Do not share your password with loved ones).
➡️ Always read (or at least skim/scan) terms and conditions and check the privacy policy pages of websites to understand how your information is used.
➡️ When browsing on public Wi-Fi, avoid logging in; incognito mode does not protect you from hackers on these networks.
➡️ Copyright law protects the *expression* of an idea (literary works, music, etc.), but generally not the underlying ideas or facts themselves.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Jan 15, 2026, 19:55 UTC