By Lisa Schick

Learning about cybercrime in P.A.

Mar 23, 2011 | 11:41 AM

Cybercrime is any crime that involves a computer and a network.

The Prince Albert Crime Stoppers Association is concerned about kids in the city and how safe they are online.

To combat this danger the association brought in Rob Nickel, cybercrime expert, to speak to the students, teachers and parents of Prince Albert.

“We find that the internet and all the things that are going on with the internet are so important … and we figure (kids should) know what safeguards they can use to help protect (themselves) and parents should know and teachers should know,” said Rick Switzer, vice-president of the Prince Albert Crime Stoppers Association.

Nickel worked in the Ontario Provincial Police for 14 years, spending over half that time working under-cover online to catch predators.

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Now he speaks about cybercrime and keeping kids safe online.

Nickel said his biggest fears with kids being online are predators and cyberbullying, and the first step to keeping kids safe is education.

“It’s about educating the students, educating the teachers about what’s going on out there and what can we do, what steps can we take to make sure our kids are just a little bit more protected or think before they do things on the internet,” said Nickel.

A lot of kids need to understand what they are doing online and what kinds of consequences there can be – if they put information online other people can look at it and if they threaten someone over the internet they can be held accountable, Nickel said.

His presentations to the parents include talking about internet predators, cyberbullies, what kids do online, what new technologies are, what kids are involved with online and what the dangers are with these things.

”Hopefully it opens up a better line of communication between parents and students,” Nickel said.
Nickel advocates monitoring and restricting kids’ access to the internet, but said it doesn’t mean they don’t have any privacy.

“It’s not about getting their passwords, and going into their accounts and spying on what they’re doing — they have to have their own privacy — but as a parent if we have that ability to monitor and keep our kids safer then that’s what we gotta do.”

One of the reasons Nickel likes to speak about these things is because he said it’s a way to stop the crime before it happens.

He recalls a presentation he made in Swift Current that had a fantastic turnout, but this was because a young girl had been abducted from there by an online predator — he wants people to have this information before that happens.

The information Nickel provides becomes increasingly important as more people get online and because kids are getting online younger.

“What I see is the students are getting on younger, and younger, and that’s a concern of mine … I’ve seen Grade 3 (kids) on Facebook, which really shocks me because that’s a lot of information out there for such a young person and it has target written all over it,” said Nickel.

Mark Phaneuf, principal at St. Mary high school, said this is the first time in seven years they have brought the entire school together for a presentation, but he believes it’s that important.

Phaneuf said that now 90 per cent of the conflicts they see in the office at St. Mary are either started by or are aggravated by technology like social networking sites and texting.

“I think it’s critical the kids learn to use technology properly,” Phaneuf said.

Nickel will be speaking to students at St. Mary high school and Carlton Comprehensive Mar. 23 and 24, and will also be presenting to parents from all schools on Mar. 23 at 7 p.m. at St. Mary High School.

lschick@panow.com