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Focus on Internet Safety This June
With kids out of school for the summer, it’s easy for
parents and kids to shift their focus from education to fun. Parents want to
make sure their kids are having fun and staying safe at the same time, and
this should apply to all activities, from riding bikes to swimming to being
online. Summer means kids will have more free time, which may mean more time
on the computer. June is National Internet Safety Month, a time to reflect on
our current online behavior and commit to being more responsible and safe
online.
This June, the Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign encourages
parents and educators to start an Internet safety dialogue with their
children and students. Topics can include:
Parents can take steps to ensure that the Internet is
safer for their kids by setting up appropriate firewalls and safe searches and
monitoring their kids’ Internet use. For more resources on how help your kids
practice online safety, review Stop.Think.Connect.’s Resources
for Parents and Educators, which includes a booklet on how to chat with
your kids about being online.
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Cybersecurity and Older Americans
Older Americans are online more than ever before.
According to May
2013 testimony by Federal Trade Commission Acting Director Charles Harwood
the “number of adults over 65 who use the Internet is increasing rapidly”.
The Internet provides older Americans the opportunity to stay connected with
their community, friends and loved ones, shop, plan travel, and manage their
finances. With these opportunities, however, come risks, especially as cyber
criminals take advantage of older Americans’ lack of familiarity with
technology to access to their personal information, especially for financial
gain. For example, criminals are using the Affordable Care Act to take
advantage of seniors, getting access to their personal and medical
information for purposes of identity theft and collecting payments for
fraudulent insurance plans.
Older Americans should take special care when conducting
the following activities online:
Connecting with friends and family. Only add people
who you know on social media (e.g., Facebook) and programs like Skype. Adding
strangers can expose you and your personal information to scammers. Do
not include a lot of personal information about yourself on websites,
even if the site requests it. For example, do not share your address or
telephone number.
Getting medical advice and information. Many
pharmaceutical companies create websites with information to sell their
products. Look for sites ending in .edu (for education) or .gov (for
government) for accurate guidance. Also, be on the lookout for websites
claiming to sell legitimate prescription drugs at much lower prices.
Banking. Do not access your bank accounts from a
public computer or through an unsecured wireless network. Do not reveal your
personal information, such as social security number, bank account number, or
date of birth, to unknown sources. When paying a bill online or making an
online donation, be sure that you type the website address into your browser
instead of clicking on a link or cutting and pasting it from an email.
Online shopping. Make sure you only shop on
websites that start with “https” – the ‘s’ means that the website is secure.
Look for the padlock icon at the bottom of your browser, which indicates that
the site uses encryption to protect your personal information, such as your
credit card number. Type new website URLs directly in the address bar instead
of clicking on links or cutting and pasting them from emails.
Older Americans can benefit from following these general
online safety tips from the Stop.Think.Connect.™ Campaign:
Visit http://www.dhs.gov/publication/stopthinkconnect-older-american-resources
for more resources on how older Americans can protect themselves online.
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