With the recent discovery of a vast international child pornography ring in Austria, i have found this useful piece in the Daily Mail on secret codes Paedophiles could be using to contact our children in web chatrooms. Of course the best way to ensure our children are safe is to speak to them and tell them of the dangers. Anyway have a read...
Taken from The Daily Mail, UK, 07 Feb 2007
By LAURA CLARK
The secret language children use in online chatrooms was unveiled yesterday to help parents trap paedophiles.
Youngsters use the codes and acronyms - including MOS (Mum Over Shoulder) - when conversing about sensitive subjects with friends online.
But paedophiles have been known to deploy the same shorthand language to try to groom unsuspecting children and teenagers.
The phrases, often derived from text message slang, include NIFOC (Naked In Front Of Computer) and others which are even more direct.
The list of phrases was compiled by anti-grooming software company In Loco Parentis to mark Safer Internet Day yesterday.
Police believe that up to 50,000 sexual predators are surfing the net at any time while studies have suggested that as many as one in five youngsters has been solicited for sex online.
In Loco Parentis software designer Paul Duckett said the firm had drawn on findings from its own screening programmes to create the list.
He said: 'The words are dangerous because if you don't understand what your child is saying or who they are talking to you don't know what they are doing to do.
'You could see the initials LMIRL (Let's Meet In Real Life) and not understand your child might be planning to meet someone.'
He said that paedophiles often use questions such as 'Are your parents around?' or 'Have you got brothers and sisters?'
He added: 'They seem like low-key phrases but parents shouldn't expect to see something obvious. These are not something you can learn quickly and there are many variations.
Paedophiles try to get down to the same level as young people and try to get them to trust them to mould them to whatever they want to do.'
He warned that youngsters could be easily led into divulging personal information such as phone numbers.
Mr Duckett added: 'With a little bit of information, in a matter of minutes a paedophile could have found out their whole background, for example by tracing phone numbers.
'They can convince a child they know them and suddenly they feel comfortable and safe.'
The initiative coincided with the jailing of three paedophiles who used Internet chatrooms to plot the rape of two schoolgirls.
Two of the men discussed modelling their crimes on the Soham murdersof Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. However they left a trail of computer 'conversation' which formed part of the case against them.
Safer Internet Day aims to raise awareness of illegal and inappropriate activity online and help safeguard children from online child abuse and cyber-bullying.
The In Loco Parentis software shuts down the computer or emails parents when a codeword from a banned list is used.
It also allows parents to monitor and screen the e-mail addresses of 'friends' their children chat to online.
The product is backed by child safety campaigner Sara Payne, whose eight-year- old daughter Sarah was murdered in 2000 by sex offender Roy Whiting.
She said: 'No parent wants to hold their children back, or stop them learning and enjoying what the Internet has to offer. But their safety should remain our number one concern.'
Millions of youngsters are registered with sites which allow users to create mini-homepages with pictures and personal profiles, such as MySpace and Bebo. Friends are also increasingly using webcams to see each other as they chat.
As a result, ministers are urging schools to teach 'safe e-etiquette' and ensure pupils are aware of their right to personal privacy.
------------------------------------------------------------
Further Reading:
Daily Mail: Online safety guide for kids
