One area that parents and children overlook when on the Internet is the fact that nothing put on the Internet ever leaves.  That means that anything incriminating posted online can be later dug up and used against your child at work, in a divorce or by the government.  In this article we will look at three fallacies that impact your child's safety and future.

Fallacy 1

If I delete something, it is gone.

• The delete key removes it from your eyes, however, it still resides on your computer’s hard drive. 
• The only way to remove it forever is to reformat the drive or wait until some other program writes over it on the hard drive.

Fallacy 2

If I remove my content from the web, no one can access it anymore.

• Once information is placed on the Internet, anyone can copy it to their computer. 
• In addition, the place that stored the information still retains copies on their hard drive.

Fallacy 3

Nobody will want the stuff I put online.

• Pedophiles/sex offenders collect images and stories.
• Pornography sites seek out images and stories to put on their sites.
• Attorneys use this information for litigation
• Employers seeking to fire an employee will search the net and the employee computer for incriminating evidence.
• Disgruntled employees will use past Internet use to incriminate other employees or employers.
• Electronic conversations are used in court cases and government investigations.
• Spouses use this information in divorce cases

Think about this:  remembering your high school years, how would you feel if the things you did then  were on the Internet in living color for anyone to find?   I don't know about you, but that thought makes me sweat! 

As you can see, the "here and now" is not the only issue parents need to worry about.  It is the tomorrows we need to protect as well.  Protect your children by educating them about online dangers.