Digital Safety

CCS Chromebooks have the same filtering settings applied both at school and at home. While it isn't possible to use a third party monitoring software to control student Chromebooks, there are many settings available via your internet provider that can be helpful. Most routers allow you to turn internet access on and off for the devices connected to your network. For example, you could set a policy for your network that Chromebooks can't connect after 8:00 PM. Settings will vary by service provider and equipment, but we've provided some links to commonly used systems below. 

AT&T - Set content controls with Smart Home Manager

Metronet (eero) - Creating and Managing Profiles

Verizon 5G Home Router - Manage Parental Controls & Time Blocks

No technological control system is perfect, so it's important to continue to have conversations with your students about internet safety and family expectations for technology use. 

🏠 Digital citizenship at home

Continue the digital citizenship conversation at home with the help of these resources 

Common Sense Media Family Resources

• Family resources to align with the Common Sense digital citizenship curriculum

Common Sense Media Family Tech Planners

• Age-appropriate agreements you can customize for your family

Common Sense Media Parent Tips & FAQs

• Articles, guides, and tips organized by age, topic, and platform

Parental Guide to Protecting Your Child's Online Activity

• A guide for parents from the Center for Internet Security

Parenting in a Digital Age

• YouTube playlist addressing common parenting questions

Screenagers Blog

• Physician and filmmaker Delaney Rushton shares her research on digital balance

Secure your Modem & Router

• Make sure your hardware and software is up-to-date; check for firmware updates
• Change the default passwords
• Enable automatic updates
• Make use of built-in device management
  • Most routers have settings to control connected devices
  • Example: group kids devices together and disconnect them from the internet after 10pm
  • Options will vary by router, so contact your internet service provider for more information
• Reboot your modem regularly

Secure Your Wi-Fi

• Change your network name
• Enable a guest network
  • Connect your primary devices (desktops, laptops, etc.) to your primary network
  • Connect secondary devices (TVs, smart devices, etc.) to your guest network

Sources

• Center for Internet Security: How to Secure Your Home Network Against Cyber Threats
• Federal Trade Commission: How to Secure Your Home Wi-Fi Network

Parental Controls

There are tools available for families to help keep students safer on personal mobile devices. No technological control system is perfect, so it's important to continue to have conversations with your students about internet safety and family expectations for technology use. 

Smartphones

• Apple & iOS Devices
• Android Devices

Gaming Systems

• Nintendo Parental Controls
• Playstation Family App
• Xbox Family Settings App

Social Media Platforms

• Instagram Teen Accounts
• Snapchat Teen Experience
• TikTok Guardians Guide

Additional Resources

• Cellphones and Devices: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers
• Is My Child Ready for a Smartphone?
• Wait Until 8th
• When Should You Get Your Kid a Phone?

Personal privacy check-ups

It's important to routinely check on the privacy settings for your own digital life. Best practices include:

Password protection

• Don't reuse passwords on multiple sites, use a different password for every site
• Don't use information that is easily available in your passwords (kids' names, pets' names, birthdates, anniversary dates, etc.)
  • Federal Trade Commission article on why this is important
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live experiment on why this is important
• Think passphrase, not password
• The longer the better; at least 12 characters is best
• Consider using a password manager to generate complex passwords for each site you use
• Avoid keeping a handwritten or digital list of passwords

Turn on multifactor authentication whenever possible

Multifactor authentication (MFA) requires two of the three following elements to log in

• something you know (like a password)
• something you have (like a mobile device that can receive a one-time use code)
• something you are (biometrics)

By enabling MFA, your account is much less likely to be hacked, even if your password becomes compromised. This is especially important for sensitive accounts like banking and health care. For more information on MFA, visit the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) website. 

Check the privacy settings of the digital tools you use

• The National Cybersecurity Alliance maintains a list of commonly used platforms
• Delete accounts for sites you are no longer using

Consumer Alerts

The Federal Trade Commission has a consumer advice page where you can get more information about current known scams, articles about best practices, report fraud and identity theft, and sign up for consumer alerts. 

FTC - Consumer Advice Page

FTC - Sign up for alerts

Credit Freeze

A credit freeze can help prevent identity theft by preventing new credit accounts from being created while the freeze is in place. You can place a freeze on your own credit as well as on your child's. For more information, visit the Federal Trade Commission websites linked below. 

FTC - Credit Freezes

FTC - Protecting Children from Identity Theft

Indiana Attorney General - Credit Freezes

What to Do If You Suspect Your Data Has Been Compromised:

• Change your passwords. Update passwords for all online accounts, including email, social media, and financial institutions.
• Enable two-factor authentication. Adding another method of authentication, such as getting a text message with an access code, along with entering a password, helps protect accounts from malicious actors. 
• Monitor your financial accounts closely. Look for any unauthorized transactions on bank accounts, credit cards, and other financial services.
• Consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze on your credit report. This makes it more difficult for someone to open new accounts in your name. You can place a fraud alert or credit freeze with each of the three major credit reporting bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
• Be wary of suspicious emails, phone calls, and texts. Do not click on links or open attachments in emails or texts from unknown senders. Do not provide personal information to anyone who calls or texts you unexpectedly.
• Review your medical and insurance statements carefully. Look for any unauthorized charges or services.

Resources:

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC): https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/identity-theft - Provides information on identity theft, including how to report it and what to do if it happens.
• IdentityTheft.gov: https://www.identitytheft.gov/ - A website run by the Federal Trade Commission that provides a step-by-step recovery plan for victims of identity theft.

Report any suspected criminal activity to your local law enforcement agency:

• Indianapolis Cyber Fraud Task Force: Cyber incidents financially related can be reported to the Indianapolis Cyber Fraud Task Force at: ind-cftf@usss.dhs.gov or call (317) 635-6420.
• Indiana State Police (ISP): ISP’s Cybercrime & Investigative Technologies Section has detectives who specialize in conducting cybercrime investigations. Call (317) 232-8248.
• FBI - Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center's (IC3 - https://www.ic3.gov/) mission is to receive, develop, and refer criminal complaints regarding the rapidly expanding arena of cybercrime. The IC3 gives the victims of cybercrime a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of suspected criminal or civil violations.

ContentKeeper is a web filtering tool. Web filtering is required for schools as a part of the Federal Erate program. We own the data, and the data is in our data center, with limited availability to the data team who protect it.

Please understand that no filtering system can be considered 100% effective. Though ContentKeeper is a robust web filtering tool, the internet is constantly changing and provides worldwide access to information. Just like all tools, using the internet requires coaching and of supervision from parents and teachers. 

Only CCS owned and BYOD Chromebooks that have been logged in with a student's CCS account will have their web activities pass through ContentKeeper while off-campus.

We’ve selected a product that should have minimal impact on the system performance. Using any filtering software will cause a slight delay in response time when browsing the web, and Content Keeper is no different in this regard.

Teachers have the ability to request legitimate sites be unblocked for educational purposes. A team comprised of teachers and administrators review the requested sites based on their educational merit and the standards set forth via the E-rate program.

CCS student Chromebooks are configured to save the browser history and students do not have the ability to delete it. 

With your student logged into the Chromebook, open the Chrome browser. Select the three-dot menu in the upper right-hand corner (1), hover over History (2), and select History (3).

Alternately, you may hit ctrl + h on the keyboard. 

Student browser activity is grouped by date (1). You may also use the search box at the top of the page (2).

The ContentKeeper category called Social Networking is blocked for all elementary and middle school students. The category is allowed for high school students. However, more granular control has been applied to specific sites as listed in the chart linked below.  

Social Media Access for Students

We block access to known VPNs on the CCS network.

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. A VPNs is a software tool that creates an anonymous and encrypted connection between the user and the internet by routing internet traffic through the VPN’s server. It violates our Responsible Use Policy to use a VPN to bypass ContentKeeper (section M under Conditions and Standards for Responsible Use of Technology).

We block access to known web proxies on the CCS network.

A web proxy is a website that acts as a middleman between the user and the content they are trying to access. Web proxies create an anonymous connection to the internet but don’t provide the same encryption as a VPN. Using a web proxy to bypass ContentKeeper violates our Responsible Use Policy.

Just as with all content on the internet, new VPNs and web proxies appear daily. Both ContentKeeper and CCS technology staff work to keep our lists as up-to-date as possible.