The Awareness Advisor

As the creator of "America's Most Wanted," and one of the most famous child victim advocates in this country, when John Walsh speaks people listen.

And now he's speaking about Internet predators.

Which is a very good thing, since, as Walsh notes, too many parents are underestimating the dangers of the Internet.

The common (mis)perception is that online predators are creepy old men in their 50s. But in reality, they can be young or old, they can be popular and successful, they can have their own kids and appear to be the pillar of the community.

This is how so many kids can fall victim to an online predator: they see someone they can like and respect.

The anonymous nature of the Internet allows them to assume their real personality, and to prey upon kids.

Walsh says we need to focus on catching Internet predators before they can get to your child.

At Awareness Tech we couldn't agree more. This is why we designed WebWatcher, to help parents protect their children from online predators.

It's been two years since the famous Dateline series "To Catch A Predator" aired, revealing to parents around the country the dangers of Internet Predators.

And now, in response to the Myspace phenomenon, and the recent rash of sexual crimes and sting operations to come out of it, it's making a comeback.

Hopefully, the new series will drive home to parents that haven't been listening that an unsupervised kid with Internet access is potentially in danger; after all, 20% of all kids who go online are sexually solicited.

This is why we at Awareness Tech created WebWatcher. We know that parental control software allows parents to watch over their kids while those kids reap the positive benefits of the net.

The article at Connpost.com claims that protecting kids online is "nothing new" for the FBI.

And anyone who has children should be grateful for the work of those special task forces who hunt down Internet predators.

Last year 1500 predators were brought to court by Federal Prosecutors, thanks to the work of special child protection agents like those mentioned in the article.

But what they fail to mention is equally as important as what does get discussed: The FBI can't keep up.

Let's think about it. If 65% of the nation's 10 to 13 year-olds use the Internet, and 40% of 16 to 17 year-olds are online at least 10 hours every week, that's millions of kids online in this country on a weekly basis.

Now, we also know that the FBI estimates that 20% of all of these kids will be solicited for sex online. That's 1 in 5 - we're talking about thousands and thousands of kids.

There's just no way that the FBI can keep up with those kinds of statistics, which explains why they suggest that nothing beats parental supervision...

And parental control software.

This is exactly what makes Awareness Tech's WebWatcher so useful for parents today.

It's impossible to be too careful with your children.

Standard Web filters do very little to stop web savvy kids from gaining access to restricted sites. A new article by Arstechnica.com asserts that for smart teens and tweens, getting around web filters is "a hot new trend."

Sadly, this isn't surprising. Kids today are much more technologically advanced than many parents. It's a product of the computer age, where kids are learning how to create web proxies before they can ride a bike.

(Note to parents, if you don't know what a web proxy is, your kid is probably outsmarting your web filters).

So, what can parents do?

Arstechnica suggests parental controls.

Parental controls are harder to get around, and the good ones record the chats, emails, and webpages visited on your computer.

This is why WebWatcher is such a good product. WebWatcher allows parents to combine the best aspects of parental controls, by both blocking sites and recording every keystroke.

So, mom and dad might not know what a web proxy is, but they do know who their kids are talking to online.

With the murder of two registered sex-offenders in Maine, there have been a slew of concerns opening up regarding the Internet, and sex offenders. But this time, the concerns are falling on the other side of the equation -- is the Internet a dangerous tool that will lead to the unfair persecution of sex offenders?

The Civil Rights aspect of this argument isn't hard to understand -- if you've served your time you shouldn't be persecuted for the same crime any more. And with all of their personal information out there in the net, registered sex offenders make easy targets.

But let's focus again on targets, and who is usually in danger when the opportunities on the net meet sex offense.

For example: 1 in 5 kids is sexually propositioned online.

The dissemination of online child pornography has reached new and more hideous proportions in the last few years.

On a statewide level, most police task forces cannot keep up with the number of online predators they encounter in sting operations.

At Awareness Tech we think that if anyone needs protecting on the Internet, it's still the victims of sexual abuse. This is why we designed WebWatcher - to help parents better protect their kids online.

It's unfortunate that two sex offenders were murdered, but how many kids will be saved by vigilant Internet policies and parental control software?

In a recent article at nytimes.com, the story of Claire Miller is used as an example of a dangerous and growing problem: cyberstalking.

Referred to as "the hidden horror of the Internet," Miller's kind of victimization is becoming more and more familiar -- someone who had access to her personal information set her up on various dating websites, and sends men she has never met to her door.

This kind of third party stalking can come from a stranger or someone well known, and in her case was someone who had access to her own accounts. Did they use her own computer? How do you discover this? How do you catch this kind of attacker?

For threats transmitted via email or chat, Internet monitoring software like WebWatcher can record the data you need to prosecute your cyberstsalker. And if you suspect someone has access to your computer and your accounts, it is equally useful in illuminating who may be using your information when you're not around.

Everyone is quick to protect their loved ones from the dangers of the Internet these days -- but sadly, we aren't often careful about ourselves.

In a recent article at silive.com, the author recounts the results of an online experiment in fidelity, in which an ad was posted on craig's list for a single woman looking to meet a married man.

The emails began pouring in less than a minute after the ad was posted -- 250 total, for just one city.

Clearly internet infidelity, or cyber-cheating, is becoming an even greater problem.

This is especially saddening when we keep in mind that today, 1/3 of divorces are linked to online affairs and cyber-cheating of various kinds.

Part of it is convenience: if you work all day at a computer, you're spending more time in front of the screen than with your spouse.

Another part of it is related to perceptions of what constitutes an "affair." Many spouses don't think of cyber-cheating as real cheating, even though the first usually leads to the second.

Here is another reason why internet-tracking software, like Awareness Tech's WebWatcher, is so popular today. It's invisible, easy to install, easy to use, and records every chat, email, and website.

After all, to catch a cyber-cheater, you'd need a cyber-detective.

According to Indyeastend.com, cyberbullying is reaching new and more traumatizing heights as social networking sites leave some children open to the attacks of meaner kids.

Lisa Finn, author of the article, suggests that parents take the occasional peek over their kids' shoulder, looking for IM attacks like, "I hate you," "If you tell anyone, I will kill you," and "I have naked pictures of you and I'm going to post them so everyone at school will see them."

Yikes. (Remember parents, most kids with cell phones can snap pictures in a locker room, opening other kids to the ultimate humiliation).

Of course, anyone would want to protect their child from the kind of trauma that these attacks would provoke -- but what can be done?

Well, you can put a block on that person so they can't approach your child online, but it's easy for cyberbullies to continue harassing them from another address, or even in person.

You can also get proof, and file a complaint.

This is where WebWatcher would come in handy -- it records all chats, emails and webpages, making it possible to use this data in filing a complaint, and following it up in a courtroom if need be.

It's also invisible while running, so no one knows it's there unless you want them to.

It makes sense...the best way to beat a bully in today's technologically advanced age, is to use better technology.

In a recent article at msnbc.com, online security specialists admit that there are far more online predators than undercover police could possibly catch.

After all, one in five kids who log-on to the Internet receives sexual solicitations in a matter of minutes.

To make matters worse, child porn cases have surged 2,000% since 1996, a crime for which most online predators are also guilty.

Internet security and child safety groups suggest several tactics for keeping Internet pedophiles away from your kids, including keeping computers out of your child's room, talking to your kids regularly about the dangers of the Internet, and most of all, monitoring what they do, and blocking the things they shouldn't be seeing.

Here is yet another situation in which Awareness Tech's WebWatcher is especially qualified to help parents: with WebWatcher parents can both block websites and monitor the buddy lists, chats, and emails that their children see online.

Predators are Internet savvy, and they use technology to prey on children. Parents today need the best in parental control software to make sure that it's not their child who becomes the next victim.

If he proves anything to parents today, Brian Doyle should prove that today's predators aren't just creepy strangers who lurk in the alleys waiting to prey on your kids.

They can also be creepy Homeland Security officials lurking in the Internet waiting to prey on your kids.

In one of the country's most publicized and shocking internet predator stings, Brian Doyle, spokesman for Homeland Security, was arrested last week for preying on a 14-year-old "girl" he met online. Of course, that girl was actually an undercover police officer.

Time and again online security experts have warned that too many parents have outdated perceptions regarding pedophiles and predators -- they think that their kids are more likely to be a victim of someone they've never met before. But sadly, that's not true. Most kids who are victims of sexual abuse and exploitation know their abuser, and more and more they're meeting them on the Internet.

And, because of the anonymity of the Internet, just about anyone can be an Internet pedophile. It's not just strangers to worry about, it's anyone with a computer and Internet access. Nationwide, online security stings have netted attorneys, firemen, policemen, military officials, and now Doyle, as they use the Internet to prey on kids.

This is why Awareness Tech's WebWatcher is so useful for parents today. It's easy to use, invisible while running, and it can block websites as well as record every keystroke, chat, and email.

It's disheartening to hear, but a Long Island police officer was recently arrested for cyber-stalking an ex-girlfriend.

In the midst of the crackdown on internet predators, we hear less and less about cyber-stalkers -- and part of it may be that it's hard to define what a cyber-stalker is.

Basically, this is a person who uses the internet to harrass another individual.

In some cases, it can include mass emails, identity theft, or constant threats.

In this case, the offender signed his ex-girlfriend up to a dating site, and then sent strange men to her home. Fortunately, the woman in question figured it out and had her stalker arrested before anything could happen.

Individuals who feel that they are the victims of a cyber-stalker may very well want to purchase internet monitoring software -- it records every chat and email, so when the time comes to arrest your stalker you have concrete proof of their actions.

Awareness Tech's WebWatcher is a perfect example; it's completely invisible as it runs, so the stalker would never know that they were being recorded...

until they got busted, of course.

According to CARE (Collaboration, Advocacy, Response, and Education), a rehabilitation center for sexually abused children, there are two kinds of pedophiles out there: the "opportunist," and the "professional."

The opportunist will abuse a child because that child is available and there are no parents around to protect him or her.

But the professional child molester will take a lot of time, and put a lot of effort into hunting and abusing children. The professional abuser often has a good or average job, will offer the child and/or single parent money, clothes, and time, and is almost always a male.

And the Internet is becoming the favorite tool of the professional child molester.

The anonymity of the net allows these people to bypass adults entirely, and meet your kids at social networking sites like myspace and xanga.

It's good to remember that these people are called the "professional" abusers for a reason: they're careful and they're smart about how they manipulate a child.

One favorite is to pose as a child of the same age, and play at being a "new student" in the area. In this way, the online predator can find out your child's name, where they go to school, where they live, etc.

Data like this makes it clear why Awareness Tech's parental control software is a must-have for parents today. With WebWatcher you can block websites and record every keystroke, chat, email, and website they visit.

After all, a "professional" abuser can't target a child with a "professional" parent in the way.