Students may get a false sense of security when working with Web sites like Facebook and MySpace, and think their information will be read only by other students.

Sometimes this information can be open to a much larger audience.

Students can learn about how to say safe online by attending “B4TKI-How To Protect Yourself in Cyberspace.”

The amount of personal information students share with unknown people online could be putting them at risk.

The presentation will include information on how to keep one’s identity safe online and what information might make students vulnerable in their online profiles.

The presentation will specifically discuss how technology can cause psychological issues, said Mike Tozer, a counselor at the Counseling Center.

“We think that it’s part of good mental health to protect what information you put out when you use all these gadgets,” Tozer said.

Tozer said students nowadays communicate more through technology and that it’s important for them to strike a balance between normal communication and electronic communication.

“If something happens, it can cause stress and psychological issues,” Tozer said.

Information Technology Service guidelines for protecting identity online advise students to be careful by not listing information like names and addresses.

By listing identifiable information such as this, they make themselves vulnerable to potential predators and could compromise their personal privacy, according to ITS guidelines.

The seminar will be at 7 p.m. today in the Charleston/Mattoon room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

This program is part of the life skills series sponsored by the Counseling Center.