Call her a cyber-sleuth in the war on hate. Abbee Corb-Cinotti (BA McLaughlin '88) is an Internet specialist for the Canadian office of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an organization dedicated to fighting anti-semitism and bigotry.

    The Internet has given hate groups a new and cheap way to spread their message, claims Corb-Cinotti. "Five years ago, there were 48 of these sites on the Net; now there are 800."

    Links between sites can be a problem, she says. "Students can be doing a Web search on alternative music, which is interesting for many young people, and may stumble on a white supremacist site."

    Corb-Cinotti is concerned about the effects these sites can have on children. "I'm talking about any and all children who are able to use the Internet, including those in pre-school up to high school."

    She says hate groups often gear their web content to children and teenagers. "They make them colourful, graphically appealing, and easy to understand. The arguments become convincing, and the recipients are young and impressionable."

    She says that although the children are computer literate, they have little knowledge of history or life experience, so they can become misinformed or misled. "They spend long hours on their computers, unsupervised by their parents. We need to help them to become more sceptical, more discerning, about some of the sites on the Net."

    Software packages that block questionable material are available, but education is also important, she says. Corb-Cinotti often speaks to public groups about hate on the Internet. She also works with police and different levels of government.

    Despite the growing number of such sites, Corb-Cinotti takes a positive approach. "We are not fighting a losing battle. The way I look at it is, if we can educate one person, our efforts are worthwhile."

Photo: Ruth Kaplan