Students urged to stay safe online

The dangers of weak internet passwords and privacy settings were driven home to students by a past pupil of their school yesterday.

The teenagers at Gaelcholáiste Mhuire at the North Monastery in Cork City learned how easy it can be for their pictures to be spread around the world, or for their personal information to be picked up by people chasing their money through identity theft on Facebook or other social media sites.

With many students having hundreds of friends on Facebook, the importance of their privacy settings was highlighted by a series of videos showing how everyday pictures can be picked up by strangers of all ages around the world. There was also caution urged about sending intimate pictures to boyfriends or girlfriends, because it is so easy for them to get into the wrong hands.