Internet crime info shared with community

Last week, community members gathered at Thompson Falls High School to learn abut internet crimes against children from a state agent.

A small handful of community members attended a presentation presented by Montana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Agent Brian Cassidy, ICAC Task Force Commander, spoke to parents about his investigations including online bullying and sextortion crimes that target youth as a result of emerging technology. Earlier in the day, Cassidy also spoke to Thompson Falls students about the dangers they face while online.

Cassidy, who joined the task force in 2014, says that awareness is the best prevention when it comes to the dangers that children face online. "I work with 16 different agencies to combat internet crimes against children," Cassidy said. "It's important for parents to understand that the first line of defense against your children, are your children themselves. Kids know each other and their habits better than parents know their kid's habits."

The average age for a child to get a cell phone in the United States is when they are in seventh grade. "We are trusting our kids with a super computer that fits right in their pocket," Cassidy said. "There are ways around those parental protections so it's good to check in on them."

Last year, Cassidy reported ICAC received around 1,500 tips in Montana from social media platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok. "That's a lot for the state of Montana," he said. "Meta is 94% of Montana's cyber tips." Appdanger.org allows parents to search for an app their child has downloaded to read about the reviews and safety of that app. "Have you heard of Omegle or Chatroulette?" Cassidy asked. "Do not let your child on those apps."

One member in Wednesday evening's audience asked what to do if a photo is already out there on the internet. Cassidy says the first step is to make a report to local law enforcement and then make a report on a federal basis as well. Cassidy tells parents to go to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) website to receive help in starting the process of getting an image taken down.

Cassidy says the best option for parents is to have those hard conversations with your children. "Just know what's on their phone," he said. "Trust your kid but don't trust the other people trying to have conversations with your kid."

Sanders County Coalition For Families (SCCFF) says the organization invited ICAC to do a presentation mainly because of the uptick of crimes against children on the internet and how easy it is for kids to get lured into dangerous situations including situations that they may not understand as dangerous and how easy it is to fall victim.

"With emerging technology and endless social media platforms, it is so easy to ignore or be oblivious to impending danger," said SCCFF Outreach Coordinator Kayla Torres. "Sometimes parents try to explain the dangers of being on the internet, on social media platforms and it does not get through to their kids. However, when an outside source explains the dangers, the real dangers and consequences of the internet, it seems to make a bigger, more impactful impression."

Those with SCCFF believe the presentation was incredibly impactful, useful and informative. "It was needed," Torres said. "The dangers Agent Cassidy spoke about are real. They are happening. They are happening in Montana. They are happening in Sanders County and it does not help to ignore the problem. At SCCFF we also work hard on prevention. Particularly prevention of abuse and that is why we invited Agent Cassidy. We want to have resources, open communication, knowledge of what is happening and what we as advocates, parents, school staff members and members of our community can do to help curb this problem."

One of those in attendance at Wednesday's presentation was Mona Jacobson, a Thompson Falls community member and parent. Jacobson believes the information presented by Cassidy is definitely relevant to those in Sanders County. "It doesn't matter if it's a big city or a small town, this is happening everywhere," Jacobson said. "It doesn't matter where you're at, if you're not monitoring your kids, this is going to keep happening. We need to know what our kids are doing."

Jacobson continued, "We've got predators that have access to your home just through electronics. It makes you aware and be on guard. I'm thankful for the people who are attacking it and going after these predators."

For more information, visit MTICAC.org.