Jackson, MS—Attorney General Jim Hood praised efforts by Yahoo! in promoting Internet security by linking its comprehensive internet safety page Yahoo! Safely to the Mississippi Attorney General?s website.

?It is great to see an Internet company like Yahoo! step forward and set an example for other internet companies to work with Attorneys General in helping police the Internet,? said Attorney General Hood.  ?During my service as the co-chair of the Tech Committee of the National Association of Attorneys General, I look forward to working with other internet companies such as Facebook to help us communicate with children and parents to help prevent cyberbullying, promote ethical Internet and cellular telephone usage, and combat intellectual property theft.?

The Mississippi Attorney General daily promotes public awareness of Internet safety for Mississippi youth and provides valuable resources through the AG’s website for parents, teachers and teens. Resources include downloadable materials for parents and teachers to initiate conversation with their children on safe and entertaining Internet activities. Publications, available at http://www.agjimhood.com inclu,de a “Parenting Guide”, brochures on “Sexting”, “Illegal Downloads”, “Cyberbullying”, and a brochure on social network safety.

The Attorney General, who supports a strong Internet Crimes Against Children Unit that works statewide with law enforcement affiliates to keep Mississippi’s children safe online, also adopts a strong stance against Cyberbullying in schools, and provides a link at http://www.fearstopshere.com to help parents and kids recognize ?Cyberbullying? and anonymously report suspected incidents.

Some tips for safer web surfing Attorney General Jim Hood suggests include:

? Thinking before sharing a thought or photo online. Once a text or photo is uploaded, there is no guarantee that it will not be vigorously copied and shared, even after you?ve personally deleted it.

? Protecting your personal information by limiting email, texts, photos, or instant messages to people who are trusted friends or family, and not giving out personal information that can be used to find your physical location or to exploit you.

? Only downloading applications from trusted sources, and reading their terms of service and privacy policies to fully understand what permissions you?re giving third parties when you install their applications upon your phone or personal computer.

? Ensuring personal safety by never texting while driving.
                                                           
? Controlling negativity by carefully considering who deserves your conversation and who gets ignored. Use Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, and Yahoo! Pulse to block people. If you receive abusive or harassing messages online, report the abuse where and when you see it.

Yahoo!, a popular California-based search engine and Internet portal, also offers a ?Safe Search? filter option on its Yahoo! searches. The company has added a link (http://safely.yahoo.com/teens/sharing-stateinfo-2/) to the Mississippi AG?s website as part of an additional multi-state effort to encourage a safe and useful internet experience.

Yahoo! Safely (http://safely.yahoo.com/) is a global resource for parents, teens and educators that provides information to make smart and safer choices online.  The website also provides advice on the usage of stronger, more effective passwords to protect personal and financial information, preventive measures to combat ?Cyberbullying? and valuable methods to avoid personally damaging Internet photo and document sharing. Internet safety measures provided at Yahoo! Safely pertain to both computer and Smartphone usage.