Inside the Internet: The Net tangles with dark side

By Paul Storer

ROMEOVILLE—Immeasurable amounts of information are embedded within the Internet’s mainframe. It’s a way of life for countless people across the world and accessed incessantly for business purposes and retail transactions as well as research, communication and recreation.

The Internet seems “divine,” observed Father Thomas Loya, pastor of Annunciation of the Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Parish in Homer Glen, describing the incomprehensible nature of the expansive World Wide Web. “It’s something wonderful.”

An authority on the teachings of Pope John Paul II on the Theology of the Body, the clergyman told the Catholic Explorer that the things most remarkable and beneficial to people also have the capacity to be “the most corrupt.” The man of faith said, “A gift is always at the same time our cross.”

A regular presenter at Catholic symposiums and other religious gatherings, Father Loya typically utilizes his knowledge of the late pontiff’s Theology of the Body writings to shed light on church teachings associated with sexuality, modesty and morality.

Through his extensive research and his interactions with others, Father Loya said he has come to the conclusion that the vast number of people accessing pornographic Web sites “is probably the problem of our time.”

Viewing pornography is “a form of adultery,” said the parish priest. Since the emergence of the present form of the Web in the 1990s, Father Loya said people have had the ability to obtain illicit materials more easily than in previous decades. “Now anyone can look at it with a click of their mouse.”

A regular commentator on Eternal World Television Network, a Catholic cable television channel, and Relevant Radio, a Catholic radio network, Father Loya also holds a master’s degree in counseling and human services. The pastor, who often advises couples, was quick to point out the increased prevalence of pornography on the Net is wreaking havoc on marriages. “It’s ruining relationships,” he said.

The expansive and anonymous nature of cyberspace has also made the Web a place for fraud and criminal activity. Deputy Rob Dubeck of the Electronic Crimes Unit of the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office talked with the Explorer about the most prevalent online crimes. Common scams that his team investigates occur during e-mail correspondences, he said.

An e-mail might say the recipient is the winner of a cash prize, said the police officer as he explained a particular scam. It further reads that the receiver needs only to send money to cover taxes on the winnings. Typically, the person sends the tax money and ultimately doesn’t receive the prize, said Dubeck. Similar scams involve a person sending money to online auction services and never receiving the products he or she had ordered, he added.

Internet scam artists also send e-mail messages to people claiming to be an official from the recipient’s bank. These criminals often disguise messages with the logo from that person’s bank and ask the individual to enter his or her bank account number on the electronic form. The overall aim is to gain access to the receiver’s bank account, said Dubeck. “A bank would never e-mail you looking for information. Never provide any information about you,” he cautioned.

Other online crimes his team investigates are those involving the sexual exploitation of youngsters, including child pornography, noted Dubeck. Similar to numerous law enforcers across the country, the members of Dubeck’s unit have successfully infiltrated social networking Internet sites, including www.myspace.com, www.facebook.com, www.livejournal.com and www.xanga.com.

These officers represent themselves as youngsters and correspond with potential predators. Their goal is to arrange face-to-face meetings in order to arrest offenders, said Dubeck.

Members of the Joliet diocesan Safe Environment Committee are bent on protecting children from assaults on the Internet as well. Comprised of representatives from the diocesan Catholic Schools Office, Religious Education Office and Center for Family Ministry, along with diocesan leaders and clergy, the members of the committee in late 2006 shipped pamphlets to the parishes in the seven-county Joliet Diocese detailing various online dangers and illustrating ways to combat them.

“I think it’s very important that we continue our efforts to keep children safe from predators on the Internet,” said Franciscan Sister Judith Davies, the chancellor of the Joliet Diocese and the chairperson of the diocesan Safe Environment Committee. She said the Internet gives children “a false sense of security.” She added, “What makes this more insidious is that children have no idea to whom they are speaking.”

In an effort to keep youngsters of the diocese safe online, the members of the diocesan committee plan to sponsor an educational session in September at Lewis University in Romeoville for all Catholic school principals in the diocese, parish directors of religious education and clergy. “All of these groups of people in their leadership roles can put forth efforts to keep children safe,” said Sister Davies.

A consultant in crimes against children for the International Criminal Police Organization as well as other law enforcement agencies across the United States and abroad, Robert Farley, a former Chicago police detective, has been tapped to address the diocesan personnel at the upcoming event in Romeoville.

The main reason that young people become victims of Internet predators is they mistakenly assume that other people cannot view their online writings, Farley told the Explorer. “Young people think these blogs are private.” An online journal is known as a blog—an amalgamation of the words “Web” and “log.”

At this time, the majority of American adults have learned the importance of monitoring their children’s use of the Internet, said Farley. Many have also started utilizing Internet safety software.

Parents are failing to realize, however, that young people can now gain access to the Internet on their cell phones. Many of these phones come equipped with digital cameras. It’s simple for predators to intercept messages and images sent by their victims, mentioned Farley. He urged parents to become versed in the different forms of electronic communication.