Don’t Be in the Dark About Online Safety
6hours a day. That’s how much time the average person spends online. With more than a quarter of the day spent scrolling, typing or watching videos, have you ever stopped to wonder how safe you are every time you turn on the screen?
It’s almost impossible to live a non-digital life. From work, to entertainment, education and even basic organization (Google Calendar, anyone?) the internet has made life convenient and continually expands human potential and capacity with its daily innovation and ability to better our lives. Informative and personalized, this revolutionary invention holds the answers to almost everything literally at the click of a button. If that wasn’t convenient enough, users can now enjoy personalized online experiences, catering to their locations, interests, etc. catering to their unique needs and wants regardless of whether you are on the move or seated at your desk at work or school. It’s no wonder that almost 40% of the world’s population is online, enjoying the benefits, enlightenment and freedom to transcend boundaries; physical and other that the internet offers. But with so much freedom and boundless information online, it’s not surprising that online dangers and hazards grow parallel to every benefit that the web grants us. Cyber security is much like any sort of protection that we need in our day to day life. It is the parachute, the seatbelt or the multi vitamin that we need to protect us from the constantly growing and evolving dangers online. Some of the biggest concerns with cyber security appear with the use of social media. Connecting 4.2 billion people on the planet
is bound to have an extreme reaction; both positively and negatively. Social media
platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. bring people and great ideas together. They start movements and have the power to change the course of the world. But sharing, or oversharing can lead to undesirable consequences. Cyber bullying, data hacking are two very common issues. With an online world that lives to cater to our personalized needs, the wrong click could equally hurt our privacy and expose our personal information without our knowledge or control. Every day, almost 85,000+ websites are hacked, leaving unaware and oblivious users vulnerable and open targets online.
It’s hard to believe that a wrong click could affect your life negatively, that a “Download now” will make you give access to strangers to your personal information?
When you dive deeper into the dangers online, it could send alarms going off in the mind of any concerned parents or anyone else who resolves to live life in a digital-less bubble. The good news is that extreme measures are unnecessary. The best thing you can do for yourself and your children is simply to be aware. How often do you use the same and easy password for all the logins you make online? Do you ever think about what it can do? If you answered “Yes” then you’ve already got your airbag ready and your safety helmet on as you head on the internet highway.
Always think more than twice before you share, download, upload or make any transaction online. If you are under the age of 18, always make sure you are viewing sites that are appropriate for you and if you see something you are not supposed to see, leave immediately. Remember that strangers online really are “strangers” and are not entitled to your information or make any requests or demands.
The internet is a powerful tool. It can be used for so many spectacular purposes and equally for so many not so spectacular. The power to do so and to be safe is literally at your fingertips and your kids. Talk to them; make them aware so that they too can harness this strange, amazing power without being at risk.