Cyberpredators

The Internet's easy, anonymous contact has allowed murderers and pedophiles unprecedented access to connect with their victims and lure them away from the safety of their homes. These cyberpredators use information technology to attack and victimize others in a more violent, malevolent, and dangerous way than cyberbullies or cyberstalkers. Cyberpredators educates teens about the dangers of interacting with strangers online and how they can protect themselves in the digital world. Although most people never experience a deadly, physical threat as a result of their online activity, a handful of terrifying cases in recent years have made it clear that the risk is real. The case of 13-year-old Kacie Woody, who was abducted and killed by a 47-year-old man who had pretended to be a teenager online, and the capture of the first Internet serial killer, John Robinson, illustrate that predators are as much of a danger in the virtual world as they are in the real world.