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3 questions you should be asking on Safer Internet
Day
by Paul Ducklin on February
10, 2015
What's in a
word?
Sometimes,
quite a lot
.
.
That's how we
feel about the fact that today is Safer
Internet Day.
In fact, we're
happier about helping you learn to be safer than telling you how to be safe.
That's because
internet safety isn't absolute, not least because the internet's threats, as
well as its benefits, keep changing.
Even Facebook,
which many youngsters already consider a social network for old-timers, only
arrived in 2004.
We couldn't
have advised you on how to behave on Twitter until 2006, briefed you on WhatsApp
until 2009, given you tips for Instagram
until 2010, or explained what was wrong with Snapchat's
promises until 2011.
In other words,
keeping safe online is a journey, not a destination.
So, instead of trying to be prescriptive, and giving you a list of
tips and tweaks, such as configuration options to turn on, we'll be descriptive
instead.
Instead of
telling you what to do, we're going to give you three questions you can ask
yourself whenever you want to try something new online.
Better yet,
they're questions you can ask out loud, and even encourage your children to ask
out loud, without ever sounding ignorant or out of touch.
Whatever you do
online, whether it's agreeing to an app's terms and conditions, clicking
through to a website, uploading a photo, or merely looking at an email, go
through this checklist:
1.
Who am I
talking to?
2.
What am I
telling them?
3.
Could anyone
else be affected?
We're not being
judgmental here.
We're not
saying, "Don't turn on location
services because you should always keep your location
confidential."
We're not
insisting, "It's dangerous to give details about your interests and
hobbies to online forums."
We're not
instructing you, "Never, ever upload photos taken in public to avoid
publishing the pictures of other people
in the photo."
But all of
these are excellent examples of online behaviours that many people enter into
without going through our question checklist above.
So, let's look
at what can go wrong in the examples above.
Location
services
Many operating
systems, mobile devices and online services have Location Services turned on by
default.
Learn how to
control how and when you share your location, and don't feel compelled to
enable Location Services because an app or your operating system promises you cooler
results if you do.
You may be
letting the whole world track your every move.
Go through our
checklist, and make your own mind up for each app's use of location data: if
in doubt, don't give it out.
Interests and
hobbies
Sharing
information about your lifestyle and your hobbies is fun, and if you aren't
giving away any intimate details, then it doesn't feel any riskier than simply
going about living your lifestyle.
After all, if
you like mountain biking, then all your cycling friends probably already know
what bike you've got, which trails you like to ride, and where you had your last
prang.
But beware of
giving too many details to the whole world that would usually only be known to
someone you actually meet up with regularly and trust.
Otherwise it
may be possible for a crook to learn enough about you to guess your passwords;
to answer your security questions at websites or banks; or to trick other
people into thinking that he knows you well and is a trusted insider
in your circle.
Go through our
checklist, and make your own mind up for information you are about to share: if
in doubt, don't give it out.
Group photo
uploads
Remember that
you may very well be "on the internet" even if you've never opened a
browser or gone online in your life.
That's because
other people who have taken photos in which you appear, and who might not have
the same sense of privacy that you do, could have uploaded them without asking,
or even thinking about you.
So, when one of
your friends or family whips the camera out, don't be afraid to ask if you can
duck out of the photo if you don't want to be in it, or to ask them what they
plan to do with it.
And return the
favour by asking them
up front when it's your turn to take the pictures.
By the way,
also be mindful of what's in the background: don't do a "Prince
William", who was photographed in an RAF office - with a username and
password clearly
visible on the noticeboard behind.
Go through our
checklist, and make your own mind up for upload: if in doubt, don't give it
out.
Safer Internet
Day
Never feel
compelled to give away more data about yourself than you need.
As we've said
several times above: if in doubt, don't give it out.===================================
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In addition to this blog, Netiquette IQ has a website with great assets which are being added to on a regular basis. I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, “Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". My new book, “You’re Hired! Super Charge Your Email Skills in 60 Minutes. . . And Get That Job!” will be published soon follow by a trilogy of books on Netiquette for young people. You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:
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