Episode 47: Safer Internet Day

[00:00:00] Foreign hello and welcome back to Just say Something's podcast. I'm Phil Clark, the CEO here at Just say Something. And today, another topic we are talking about Safer Internet Day, which is observed around The World on February 11. From social media to online shopping, the Internet shapes how we live. [00:00:35] But are we using it safely? [00:00:39] But first, if you like this podcast, remember to like subscribe, follow, comment, share all the above on your social media or send it to friends with through the link and email it or text it. Remember, you can find this podcast wherever you find your other podcast and we're happy that you're with us this week and hopefully you will tell your friends, family and co workers. [00:01:20] So let's go back in time. [00:01:22] 1990 Tim Berners Lee invented the World Wide Web. Remember Yahoo. GeoCities, the iconic you've got mail sound? [00:01:38] And we've come a long way since then. [00:01:41] Safer Internet Day itself began in 2004 as an EU safer Internet borders project. [00:01:50] By 2009, dedicated committees were working worldwide to promote Internet safety. The US officially recognized the day in 2012 and now it is observed in nearly 130 countries around the globe. [00:02:12] So why does this day matter? [00:02:15] Every day thousands of new websites appear online. [00:02:19] That's thousands of new opportunities and potential risk. Major tech companies like Facebook, Google and X actively support this initiative because they understand what's at stake. [00:02:37] But let's get practical. Here are three ways to make your online experience safer. [00:02:45] First, update your privacy settings. As soon as you finish listening to this podcast, check one of your social media accounts privacy setting and make sure it's set the way you want it to be. Do you want all your posts public on Facebook? [00:03:05] If not, you can make those changes. [00:03:09] Second, strengthen your passwords. [00:03:13] I need to work on that. Use different passwords for different accounts. I need to work on that too. Consider a password manager such as Last Pass. [00:03:26] They're like a secure digital vault for all your login information. [00:03:32] And don't give your password out to others. [00:03:37] And Safer Internet Day isn't just for kids, it's for everyone. [00:03:42] People of all ages are being scammed and hacked on a regular basis. We all need to be a little bit more careful. Last year alone, adults lost billions. [00:03:57] That's billions with a B. To online scammers. From seniors falling victims to romance fraud to tech savvy professional getting caught by sophisticated phishing schemes. No one is excluded. [00:04:15] Recent data shows alarming trends. Credential theft, ransom attack or ransomware attack and social engineer scams are targeting people of all ages that work from home job offer. [00:04:32] Could that be a scam? That urgent email from your bank might be fishier. [00:04:39] That's amazing. On deal line. Just for you, just for today. [00:04:46] Might be a trap. [00:04:48] Digital literacy isn't just for kids anymore. We're seeing grandparents lose retirement savings to scammers, working professionals falling for business email compromise and even IT experts getting hacked. Everyone needs to stay vigilant. [00:05:09] Remember, the Internet is a tool. And like any tool, its safety depends on how we use it. Be careful. [00:05:20] So save or share your Internet safety tips by using the hashtag safety Safer Internet day. [00:05:31] Well, and if you don't think it can happen to you, I can tell you it happened to one of our team members. I won't tell you who, but they received an email they thought was for me and it said, hey, can you do me a favor? And they responded, sure, what do you need? And it was go buy $600 worth of iPhone or Apple gift cards. And unfortunately, this person went and did that, so you never know. All right, well, that's all for today's episode. You've been warned. [00:06:08] Stay safe out there on the Internet and elsewhere. And again, this is Philip Clark would just say something and I look forward to seeing you soon.