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Stealthencrypt.com Quick Take: Here are some easy ways to secure your privacy. Most don't cost a dime.

The Kool Kids Surf Safe Club tells kids how to be cool by surfing safe. Surfing safely is so cool it can protect kids from danger and could even save lives. We encourage adults to share these tips with their children and students.

Millions of people are surfing the Internet. As going online gets easier, even more kids will explore cyberspace, either at home or on computers at libraries.

Because cyberspace is an image on a computer screen, sometimes it is called "virtual" — not really real.

But cyberspace IS real, in a way. It isn't like TV. TV is one way communication. Cyberspace is two way communication, which means real people are everywhere in cyberspace, and sometimes have the ability to talk to each other in email or in chat rooms. In some ways, cyberspace is like a mall, a place where lots of people gather.

This is where common sense and knowledge are your best protection. Here are some "horse sense" tips to keep you safe and still let you have fun. 1. READ THE PRIVACY POLICY. When you first get to a site, look for a privacy policy and read it. It should tell you what information is gathered, just from you landing on a page. It should also tell you what information the web site asks you for, and how they use it. Some web sites (not ours) use kids' email addresses and names to try to sell the kids and their parents a lot of stuff. It can get kind of annoying to get a bunch of junky email.

2. DON'T GIVE OUT ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION. You wouldn't tell a stranger at a mall your name or address, would you? Of course not! The same safety rules apply to the internet. Some kids' web sites will have a contest with a little prize like a T-shirt or jelly beans, but they try to make all the kids give real names and addresses, not just the winners. Most of the time, they are really just using kids' names to build a list of people who might want to buy their stuff, or they will sell the kids' names and addresses to advertising places. But we are onto them, so we aren't going to give out our personal information, right? The FBI tells kids not to talk to strangers or give them any personal information. That's smart!

3. AVOID CHAT ROOMS. A chat room is a place where people type messages to each other in real time. But some scary things have happened. Some bad adults, who were pretending to be kids, have said icky things to kids in chat rooms, things that made the kids feel sad or afraid. We don't want that to happen to you. You can't see who is really talking to you. A girl from Rochester, New York met a man from Omaha, Nebraska in a chat room, gave personal information and he lured her away from home. We are not making this up. The FBI has arrested more than 100 people for doing bad things to kids, by using the internet. So don't chat with strangers! The FBI says strangers are dangerous to kids, and we say so, too!

4. IF YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE AT ANY SITE, LEAVE RIGHT AWAY. Sometimes when you get to a site, you find out that it was not what you thought it would be. It might even be an "adults only" site. If it happens, just use the back button on your browser to leave right away. If you are upset by something you see on the internet, talk to a grownup you trust, like a parent or teacher. There is plenty of neat stuff for your age group, so don't hang out on adults only sites, OK? (Besides, your parents could look at the files in your computer's cache directory to see where you've been! Really!)

5. WHEN YOU WANT TO FIND SOMETHING, USE KID-SAFE SEARCH ENGINES LIKE YAHOOLIGANS.COM.

6. DON'T ANSWER EMAIL FROM PEOPLE YOU DON'T KNOW. Don't fall for interesting letters from strangers. They may appear in your email box out of nowhere. If you really want to answer, ASK a parent or guardian if it is OK to reply. 7. IF YOU HAVE A WEB SITE OF YOUR OWN, USE A NICKNAME AND A SECOND EMAIL ADDRESS. Always use a nickname on your web site, one that you never use anywhere else, and a web email address that is separate from your real email address that only your family and school friends know. Don't put a photo on your site that shows your face clearly, and don't use your real name, address, or school name.

8. BE ALERT FOR BAD ADULTS WHO STALK CHILDREN USING THE INTERNET. Never agree to meet a stranger you met on the internet. If a stranger comes up to you, in person, and calls you by your web nickname, you will instantly know this person is DANGEROUS! If this happens, scream "911! You're a stranger!" and get away fast! Don't let the person get close to you. Tell a teacher and a parent what happened and call 911.

9. LEARN TO RECOGNIZE ADS FROM FREE STUFF. Your exploration of the internet will be a lot more fun if you are smart and can figure out if a site has stuff for sale or for free. (Free is better.) 10. AVOID WEB SITES THAT ASK FOR PERSONAL INFORMATION. Here are two web sites that have been investigated by the U.S. government for possibly violating privacy: Geocities.com, Kidscom.com. If a web site asks personal information, you don't have to give it. There are plenty of other web sites that don't ask for information. Some web sites get your personal information without asking. They do it with a spying program, a web cookie, or java applet that can tell them your email address, what page you were surfing before you came to their site, what you clicked on in their site, how long you stayed, and lots more.

11. ALWAYS OBEY YOUR PARENTS' OR GUARDIANS' RULES ABOUT INTERNET SAFETY. THEY CARE ABOUT YOU! Follow your house rules about what sites are OK, how long you can surf, and if you have to do homework first. Be considerate about tying up the phone line for a long time. Show your favorite web sites to your parents, so they won't worry about you. If you don't know if something on the internet is OK for you, ask your parent, guardian, or teacher. Don't let the internet interfere with bedtime. You need lots of sleep to be a good student! OK. Now you can click here for your KOOL KIDS SURF SAFE AWARD!.