Glossary
You can’t learn about e-safety without coming across jargon, but if you come across any words that you don’t know, they are probably listed here.
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W
A
3G
Third generation—the newest mobile phone network offering fast connections that can let you make video calls or access the internet at broadband speeds.
Address
Normally short for ‘web address’—this is where you can find a particular web page or website on the internet. Can also be short for email address.
ADSL
Stands for ‘Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line’. A fast way of sending computer data over an ordinary phone line, usually used to provide broadband internet access to homes, schools and offices. An alternative to a cable modem.
Adware
Computer programs that display adverts on the screen. Often installed without people realising, these can be malware.
Anti-virus software
A program that looks at the files on your computer and anything sent to you in email, chat or on a web page looking for viruses and other malware.
Attachment
A file that is sent along with an email message. It can be any sort of file and often pictures are sent this way.
B
Bebo
A popular social networking website, www.bebo.com is used by many young people to share information about themselves, make friends and get in contact with one another.
Block
To stop a computer reaching something on the internet, or stop a program running. Websites that are blocked can’t be viewed on screen; chat programs that are blocked can’t be started.
Blog
Short for weblog.
Bluejacking
Some users with Bluetooth-enabled mobiles use this technology to send anonymous text messages to strangers. This has been nicknamed ‘bluejacking’.
Bot
A program that can do things without the user of the computer having to give it instructions. Many bots are malware as they are installed without people’s permission and can be controlled over the internet and used to send spam or steal data.
Broadband
A relatively fast—above 512 kbps—connection to the internet. Most broadband connections are ‘always on’ so that your computer is connected to the internet all the time it is turned on.
Browser
A program that allows you to use the World Wide Web. Microsoft internet Explorer is the most commonly used browser but others, like Firefox, Netscape, Opera and Safari, are also available. Also called ‘web browser’.
Buddy
An online friend. Usually used to refer to people who you let contact you in instant messaging or chat programs.
C
Cable modem
A special piece of equipment that lets you use your cable TV connection to link up to the internet. An alternative to ADSL.
CD
See compact disc.
Chat room
A special place on the internet where you can chat to one or more people.
Chatting
Taking part in an online chat, either in a chat room or by instant messaging.
Click
To press a button on your screen by moving your pointer over it and pressing your mouse button.
Community forums
Websites that allow members to contact each other, take part in chats or create personal web pages.
Compact disc
A 12cm diameter plastic disc that can store relatively large amounts of data – around 650 megabytes. Originally used for music, CDs are also used for programs and other computer data files. Many home and office computers now have CD-writers as well as CD-readers and can write—or ‘burn’—data to share with friends.
Computer network
A number of computers that are linked together so that they can exchange data. Local area networks link computers in the same
building, wide area networks like the internet connect computers that may be far apart.
Content filter
A way of limiting access to material on the internet by examining it before it is shown to the user and deciding whether or not it is
acceptable. Often used to restrict access to certain web pages when children are using computers.
Cookie
A cookie is a small file that is sent to a web browser by a server and stored on the user’s computer. It can then be read by the server
every time the user revisits the same website and is used to keep track of personal preferences, shopping choices and other information. Sometimes called a magic cookie.
D
Data
Information stored on a computer is often called data. the computer stores everything in files as a series of 1s and 0s. These files are read by programs.
Downloading
Copying something from another computer, usually over the internet.
Download websites
A website that makes material available to download.
E
eBay
A popular e-commerce site where people can put items up for auction and others can bid for and buy them. The UK site is at www.ebay.co.uk
e-commerce
Buying or selling over the internet, usually from a website.
Electronic signature
A way of adding a code to messages you send so that they can be proven to have come from you.
Email
A way to exchange messages over the internet. Messages are written by one person and then sent to one or more people at their email address.
Email address
An email address tells your email program where to send messages. The first part of the address is the name of the person's mailbox, where messages are stored. The second part, after the '@' sign, is the name of the organisation where messages should
be sent over the internet.
F
Family agreement
An agreement on how home computers and internet access will be used, drawn up after discussion between family members and usually posted up next to the family computer.
File
Some data stored on a computer. A file may contain any sort of digital content – a word processed document, a picture, some music or a film.
File sharing
Copying files over the internet. Usually the files contain music, films or programs, but any sort of file can be shared.
Filter
A means of preventing certain types of material from reaching your computer.
Firewall
A program or, in large companies, a separate computer, that checks all the data passing between your computer and the internet to see if it is safe or permitted.
Lots of home computers have personal firewalls, but these may not be safe unless they are set up by someone with technical knowledge.
G
Grooming
See online grooming.
H
Hacker
Originally thought of as a computer enthusiast, but now a hacker is normally used to refer to computer criminals, especially those who break into other people’s computer networks.
Homepage
The page that appears when you type in an organisation’s web address without any file name, for example, www.childnet.com
Also used to mean someone’s personal web page.
I
Icon
A small picture used to represent an action or a file on a computer screen.
IM (Instant Messenger)
Technology similar to that of chatrooms, which notifies a user when a friend is online, allowing them to ‘converse’ by exchanging text messages. The difference between IM and chatrooms is that IM requires you to set up a list of contacts before you can chat.
Infrared
A type of invisible light that some handsets and other devices can use to communicate. Most TV remote controls use the
same technology.
It is an alternative to radio services like Bluetooth and wi-fi but requires direct line-of-sight to work.
Instant Messanger
A way of sending messages to other internet users by typing words which appear immediately on the other person’s screen. Also known as IM. There are lots of programs around that let people send instant messages, including MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) and IRC.
Internet
A worldwide network which links together millions of computers and allows them to exchange data and work together.
Internet café
A public place, usually but not always serving refreshments, where you can pay to access the internet from a computer.
Internet Service Provider
A company that connects computers to the internet for a fee. Abbreviated to ISP.
IP (internet Protocol) address
Every computer connected to the internet is assigned a unique number known as an internet Protocol (IP) address. Since these numbers are usually assigned in country based blocks, an IP address can often be used to identify the country from which a computer is connecting to the internet. It is not possible to tell the exact address of an individual using the IP address.
IRC
internet Relay Chat: an old but still widely used way of having online chats with several people at the same time.
ISP
See internet service provider..
iTunes Music Store
An e-commerce site set up by Apple Computers which allows you to buy songs which you can listen to using the iTunes software (also provided by Apple) or transfer to your iPod personal music player. Songs bought from the iTunes Music Store can’t be played on other players such as those from Creative or Sony.
K
Kbps
Kilobits per second. A way of measuring the speed of a network by counting the number of bits – a single 1 or 0 – sent each second. A kilobit is a thousand bytes.
L
Laptop
A laptop is a small computer that you can carry around with you and that runs off batteries. It has a screen and a keyboard built in.
Learndirect
A training organisation that offers online training courses for people, either on their own computers, at work or in an online
learning centre.
Link
A connection between two web pages. A link on one page, often shown underlined in blue, will take you to another page or even another website when you click on it.
Login
A login is a name you use to tell a computer or a website who you are.
Log off
To disconnect from a computer, network or online service.
Log on
Identify yourself to a computer, network or online service, usually using a user name and password.
M
Malware
Bad software. Programs that damage your computer (viruses), steal your personal information (spyware), display unwanted adverts (adware) or expose your computer to hackers (Trojan horses).
Mbps
Megabits per second. A way of measuring the speed of a network by counting the number of bits – a single 1 or 0 – sent each second. A megabits is a million bits.
Messenger
A program provided by Microsoft which lets people send messages to each other using Microsoft’s network, MSN. Also known
as MSN.
Minimise
To shrink the window that a program is using to an icon.
MMS
Multimedia messages/photo messages – pictures and video you can send and receive with a mobile handset.
Modem
A device that connects a computer to the telephone network so that it can link to an ISP and access the internet.
Moderated chatroom
A chatroom or other service where an adult is watching the conversations to make sure they do not break the hosting company’s policy on online behaviour. This may include inappropriate language, the disclosure of personal information or behaviour which is considered dangerous.
Some chatrooms do not have a person watching all the time, but rely on a program that monitors all of the chats and alerts a moderator when particular words appear. It is, of course, easy to get round this by using misspellings or substitute words.
Moderation
Supervising what goes on in a chatroom, newsgroup or other online service.
Mouse
A small device connected to a computer that is used to control the position of a pointer on screen and has one or more buttons that can be used to make selections or carry out actions like clicking.
MSN
Abbreviation of ‘Microsoft Network’. Often used to refer to Microsoft’s Instant Messenger.
MySpace
A popular social networking website that lets users create their own homepages, set up weblogs and add buddies.
N
Net
Abbreviation for internet.
Network
See Computer network.
Newsgroup
A USENET bulletin board on a single topic.
O
Offline
Not online. Not connected to the internet.
Online
If you are online you are connected to the internet and can share data with other computers. Offline means activities which do not involve the internet.
Online grooming
Online grooming is defined by the UK Home Office as: “A course of conduct enacted by a suspected paedophile, which would give a reasonable person cause for concern that any meeting with a child arising from the conduct would be for unlawful purposes.”
Operating system
The main program that controls the operation of a computer and lets the user call other programs and gain access to files and
other data.
The three most common operating systems are Microsoft Windows, Apple’s Mac OS and Linux.
P
P2P
An abbreviation of peer-to-peer. P2P networks allow users to share files on their computer with people all over the world. Each computer runs a special program that lets it communicate with other computers running the same program, and they can then copy files between them.
P2P networks are sometimes called file-sharing networks for this reason. Young people will know them by their brand names, like Kazaa, LimeWire and BitTorrent.
Parent control software
Programs that can be installed on computers to limit what children – or anyone else – can do. Often used to restrict access to lists of inappropriate websites, block chatrooms and other potentially dangerous programs and even keep a record of all email and other
messages sent and received.
No parental control software is completely reliable and it should only be used as part of a broader approach to online safety which involves talking to children and sharing online activities with them.
Parental controls
The limits that parents put on how their children use the family computer.
Password
A word or series of letters, numbers and punctuation that only you know, which you use to log on to computers, networks or
online services.
PDA
Short for Personal Digital Assistant. A small, handheld computer.
Peer to Peer
See P2P.
Personal firewall
A firewall used for a home computer.
Personal Identification Number
A number, often only four digits, used like a password.
Phishing
Pronounced the same as ‘fishing’ this is an attempt to trick people into visiting malicious websites by sending emails or other messages which pretend to come from banks or online shops. The emails have links in them which take people to fake sites set up to look like the real thing, where passwords and account details can be stolen.
PIN
See Personal Identification Number.
Pointer
The arrow shape that appears on your computer screen and moves when you move your mouse or touch your trackpad.
Posting
A message on an online bulletin board or weblog.
Program
A program – spelt the America way – is a collection of instructions to a computer that get it to do something useful, like show a picture or display a web page or change a document. Every time you want to do something on a computer you need to use one or
more progams.
R
Ringtone
The old fashioned phone ring has been replaced on mobiles by a wide range of sounds from pop songs to actual recordings of tropical parakeets. Some are free, but most must be downloaded and paid for.
S
Screensaver
This is the often animated picture shown on phones that are switched on – but not in current use. These can be chosen and paid for.
Search engine
A website that lets you search other websites by typing in the words you are looking for. Search engines like Google and MSN Search are very popular and important.
Most search engines do not filter the results they return, so children should use more child-friendly ones like Yahooligans!
Security updates
New versions of programs that fix problems that have been found. Often sent out automatically, it is important that security updates are installed as soon as they are released as hackers and malware often try to make use of the errors that have been fixed.
Server
See Web Server.
Site
See Web site.
Skype
A program that lets you make phone calls over the internet. You can talk to other Skype users for free, or pay if you want to call ordinary telephones.
SMS
Short for ‘short message service’. The proper name for text messages.
Social networking
Not the same as computer networking, social networking is a way of using the internet and the web to find and make friends and stay in touch with people.
Software
Programs that run on your computer.
Spyware
A type of malware that monitors what you are doing on your computer and sends the information to the person who runs it. Can be used to keep track of which websites you visit or even steal your passwords and login details for ecommerce sites.
Stranger danger
The concern that an unknown person might do some harm to a child. This is seen as a significant problem for online activities like chat and email as it is comparatively easy to pretend to be someone else online.
Suscribe
To sign up for a service or website. Usually you will be asked to set up a username and password, and may be asked for personal information like your name, address and age. It is important to check a site’s privacy policy before you do this, as the information may be used in ways you do not expect.
Surf
To look at web pages, usually when you are browsing from one page to another quickly by following links.
T
Text
Also called ‘short message service’ or SMS, a text is a way to send a short message from one mobile phone to another.
Trackpad
An alternative to a mouse often found on laptops. It is a small rectangle of touchsensitive material, so you can move your pointer by touching it with a finger and moving your finger.
Trojan horse
A malware program that is not what it seems to be. Trojan horses pretend to be useful programs like word processors but really install spyware or adware or open up your computer to hackers.
U
Uniform Resource Locator
See web address.
Upload
To copy information from your computer to another, usually over the internet.
URL
Short for ‘Uniform Resource Locator’. See web address.
USENET
A type of online bulletin board where anyone can post a message on any topic. Divided into thousands of separate newsgroups, each of which is supposed to be about a single topic, though in practice the rule is often broken.
V
Virtual
Not real. A word sometimes used to describe things you find, places you visit or people you meet when you are on the internet.
Virus
A malware program that can hide itself on your computer by making changes to another program, and which can then make copies of itself. A virus can do lots of different things, like delete your files, steal your data or even take over your computer and let
hackers control it.
W
Wallpaper
The usually still image on a phone screen. It can be changed and paid for.
WAP
Stands for ‘Wireless Application Protocol’. This allows users to receive information instantly via handheld wireless devices such as mobile phones, pagers, two-way radios and communicators.
Web
Abbreviation for World Wide Web.
Web address
Where on the World Wide Web to find a particular website. or web page. Also called Uniform Resource Locator or URL the address has three parts to it: http://server/page/ they are:
http:// tells the web browser that this is a web address
server is the name of the computer to be contacted, like bbc.co.uk or childnet-int.co.uk
page is the name of the web page to be read, like index.html. If no page is given then the server sends back the homepage.
Web browser
See browser.
web page
A single screen of material stored on the World Wide Web and sent to a user’s computer to be displayed by their browser.
Web server
A program that manages a website and sends web pages to people’s browsers when they ask for them.
Website
A Website is a collection of web pages, usually all located on a single web server, and usually about the same topic.
Webcam
A camera, usually small and relatively low quality that can be plugged into a computer and used to send images and video over the internet. These days webcams are more often used for video chat than for providing images on websites.
Weblog
A website that is made up of a selection of separate entries, or ‘posts’, usually shown on the home page with the most recent first. Many weblogs are used by people to keep online diaries or write about areas of interest. Often shortened to ‘blog’.
World Wide Web
An online service which allows people to put up web pages containing all sorts of information including words, images, video, sound and even programs like word processors. The Web is made up of many billions of separate web pages each stored on a web server. Each web page can link to other pages, creating a single vast library.
WWW
Abbreviation for World Wide Web.
Wi-fi
A wireless network that allows specially equipped computers to connect to the internet without any cables.
