Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). A written statement by a school declaring its policy of acceptable uses of the school’s computers and penalties for violations. The policy is usually found in a school’s student handbook.
Actual Damages. Money awarded to compensate a person for real, proven injuries he or she suffered.
Appeal. The right to ask a higher court, called an appellate court, to review a decision made by a lower court. This is done by reading a transcript of what took place in the lower court, and listening to the oral arguments of the attorneys involved. The attorneys may also file written arguments about their case called briefs.
Bash Board. An online bulletin board where individuals can post anything they want. The term “bash” is used because oftentimes the messages directed at another person are hateful and malicious.
Blocking. When you are denied access to part of the Internet. Usually a message will appear notifying you of such.
Blog. An interactive online journal or diary, viewable by designated friends or everyone. The blogger adds content to his or her Web log by blogging.
Botnet. A collection of infected computers used to steal a person’s identity and personal information.
Buddy List. A collection of names of your friends or “buddies” within an instant message or chat program. You can see when they are online and available to talk, and they can see when you are online.
Bullycide. Suicide stemming directly or indirectly from being bullied or cyberbullied—usually an act of depression, desperation, and loneliness.
Bullying. Harmful behavior against another person usually of a repetitive nature—it may include physical or psychological acts of aggression.
Censorship. The act of limiting access to material found objectionable; for example, books, movies, and music with explicit sexual content, violence, or profanity.
Chat. An online conversation in a “chat room” where you can read others’ messages and they can read your replies. Some chat rooms have hundreds of participants online at once, having real-time conversations.
Cyberbullying. The use of electronic devices such as computers and cell phones to convey intimidating or harassing messages (i.e., text or IM messages, graphic harassment, and email).
Cyberdating. Following up an online relationship with an off-line real date.
Cyberthreats. Electronic messages that indicate an intention to do harm to yourself or another.
Damages. A remedy in the form of money to the injured person—also see actual, nominal, and punitive damages.
Defamation. A false statement of fact, written or oral, that is communicated to a third party and injures one’s reputation.
Delinquent. When a minor is found guilty of a crime, he or she is called a delinquent child, not a criminal. If found guilty of truancy, running away, or disobedience, the minor is referred to as an incorrigible child.
Digital Footprint. Anything that can be traced to your use of the Internet, including a deleted or trashed email, blog, or chat entry.
Due Process. Your constitutional right under the Fourteenth Amendment to be notified of any charge filed against you and be given a chance to respond to the charge.
Email. Stands for “electronic mail”; allows you to receive and send messages to other Internet users.
Email Bomb. A form of Internet abuse where someone sends huge volumes of email to an address in an attempt to fill their mailbox or overload a server.
Emoticon. From “emotion” and “icon”; a way for Internet users to express an emotion behind a word or sentence. A common emoticon is a smiley face :-).
Ex Post Facto Law. A law that applies to a person or event before the law was passed, in other words, a law that applies retroactively.
Expunge. To have your juvenile record erased, as if it never existed. This allows you to begin your adult life (age 18) with a clean record.
Facebook. A popular social networking Web site where users create personal profiles of themselves, listing interests, communicating with others, and posting photos.
Felony. A crime that carries the strictest penalty, usually a minimum of one year in jail. A felony is more serious than a misdemeanor or a petty offense.
Flaming. The practice of sending rude, angry, or obscene messages to someone.
Friending. Adding another user to your list of friends on a social networking site such as Facebook or MySpace.
Grand Jury. A group of citizens who decide whether enough evidence is available to charge someone with a crime. They listen to the government’s evidence presented by a prosecutor behind closed doors. Unlike a criminal trial that is open to the public, grand jury proceedings are closed hearings. They usually deal with felonies, not misdemeanors or lesser crimes. If the grand jury finds sufficient evidence against the person, they issue a formal charge called an indictment.
Hacking. Breaking into a computer or computer system without permission.
Happy Slapping. An extreme form of bullying where physical assaults are recorded on cell phones or other devices and posted on the Internet.
Harassment. When a person is the victim of unsolicited words or actions intended to alarm, abuse, or annoy them.
Hate Speech. Speech intended to degrade or disparage someone or a group based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or other improper classification.
Hung Jury. A jury that cannot agree on a decision in the case. This usually happens after hours or even days of considering the evidence, and it means that the case may be retried.
Incorrigible. An incorrigible act is one that cannot be committed by an adult, such as running away, truancy, and disobedience. If the court finds you incorrigible, you could be placed on probation.
Indictment. A formal charge against a person for committing a crime, brought against him or her by a grand jury.
Instant Messaging (IM). An act of instant communication between two or more people over the Internet. Programs such as AOL Instant Messager or Google Talk allow this to occur.
Internet. A massive worldwide network of computers communicating with each other by use of phone lines, satellite links, wireless networks, and cable systems. The Internet isn’t owned by anyone and does not have a specific location. A large portion of the Internet is called the World Wide Web.
Libel. The publication, in words, photos, pictures, or symbols, of false statements of fact that harm another’s reputation (i.e., in a Web page or blog post). The absolute defense to a charge of libel is the truth.
Minor. Someone who is not yet legally an adult—in most situations, someone 17 or younger.
Misdemeanor. A criminal offense that is less serious than a felony, and results in a fine, probation, or a jail sentence of one year or less.
MySpace. A social networking Web site that allows the user to create a personal online profile. It may include biographical information, interests, likes and dislikes, pictures, video, and audio. A user interacts with others through blogging, messaging, or posting comments.
Negligence. Occurs when a person fails to exercise the care that a reasonable person would exercise under the same circumstances.
Nominal Damages. A small amount of money ($1.00 or $10.00, for example) awarded by a court recognizing a successful claim in a lawsuit but with little monetary merit.
Petty Offense. A criminal offense that usually carries no jail time and a low fine.
Phishing. Illegally attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
Probable Cause. Exists when the facts and circumstances within an officer’s knowledge are sufficient in themselves to cause a person of reasonable caution to believe that an offense has been or is being committed.
Probation. A program in which you’re supervised by the court or probation department for a period of time. Special terms of probation may include time in detention, community service hours, counseling, a fine, or restitution to the victim.
Profile. A user created Web page where you add content including your background, interests, and friends. You can also add music, video, and digital pictures.
Punitive Damages. Money awarded to an injured plaintiff in a lawsuit that is considered punishment for willful behavior, in order to set an example for others.
Reasonable Doubt. In a criminal trial the court or jury must find that the case has been proven “beyond a reasonable doubt.” This means that there may still be a doubt, as long as it doesn’t affect a reasonable person’s belief that the person on trial is guilty. It is the highest level of persuasion that must be met in a criminal case.
Restitution. The act of restoring a victim to the position he or she was in before suffering property damage, loss, or personal injury. A minor placed on probation may be required to pay back the victim for any loss the minor caused. Payments may be spread out over the length of the probation period.
Right to Privacy. Control over your personal information and the ability to grant or deny access to others. It is your right to decide how much you will share with others about your thoughts, feelings, and the facts of your life.
Sexting. Sending graphic images or sexually explicit photos or videos by way of text messages to friends.
Slander. A defamatory statement made against another person.
Social Networking Web Site. An interactive online environment where users share their profiles, blogs, photos, and messages. Some popular sites include MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, LiveJournal, Xanga, PhotoBucket, and Flickr.
Spam. The same as “junk mail” from the post office; unsolicited email from someone you don’t know.
Statute of Limitations. A law that states the maximum period of time after a certain event that you can file a lawsuit (e.g., one, two, or three years).
Swatting. Telephone hacking often used to make false 911 calls to get SWAT teams to respond to an unsuspecting person’s home, while the “swatter” observes nearby. This is a form of harassment.
Teacher Baiting. The act of intentionally upsetting a teacher so that he or she says or does something that a student catches on video in order to post online.
Texting. Sending a written message to someone over your cell phone.
Trolling. When someone sends out an anonymous message in an attempt to get you to respond; often done to upset or provoke the receiver.
True Threat. A statement communicated as a serious expression of an intention to inflict bodily harm upon or take the life of another person. True threats are not protected by the U.S. Constitution and may be criminal.
Twitter. A social networking service used as a way to stay connected with your friends online with quick answers, called tweets, to the question “What are you doing?” Described as bite-size updates or micro-blogging and limited to 140 characters.
Wikipedia. A free online encyclopedia with entries called wikis, created and edited by users.
YouTube. A video-sharing Web site where users can upload, view, and share clips of themselves or others.