Safer Internet Day on 8 February imparted a hugely important message – that the Internet isn’t a game, and that our online behaviour has a direct bearing on our physical lives.
Over the past decade, technology has gained a foothold that no-one could have predicted. The technology has become smaller, processing power has become faster and it’s pretty fair to say the youthful members of our society have morphed into pseudo-technology wizards.
Advances in cyber technology have proven to be the single most important influence on the 21st Century, both for good and for bad.
While the next generation holds the key to our future economic success, they have also opened the lid on a cyber Pandora’s box.
Conventional ideas of privacy
Conventional ideas of privacy are fast becoming things of the past as the digital age explodes. Digital natives (a generation of people who have grown up with digital technology) and digital immigrants (later adopters of digital technology) are actively interacting with the Internet on a 24/7 basis.
Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are allowing unfettered and unmonitored access to peoples’ lives. Indeed, trend spotter Marian Salzman has referred to a policy of radical transparency in which people are purposefully choosing to ‘manage’ their sensitive personal information by posting on blogs and social networking sites.
However, this is a dangerous game to play. It’s nigh on impossible to ‘manage’ cyberspace, let alone control access to your personal information.
If it’s online, it’s available for all to see (including an audience of more unsavoury types of people).
We’re already seeing the dark side of the social media craze in terms of cyber bullying and paedophilia.
In 2010, social networking sites were blamed for a spike in cyber bullying which claimed a number of young people’s lives in the US, not to mention a high profile case in the UK where, tragically, cyber bullies drove 15-year-old Megan Gillan to kill herself.
These sites have also been accused of creating a playground for predators to prey on our children. While safety warnings take a while to filter through, a lack of parental supervision is creating a new era of cyber latch key children.
Responsibility to spell out the dangers
Those of us in the security profession have a responsibility to spell out the dangers, whether we are working with youth groups to raise awareness of managing their digital footprint and online safety or developing tools to protect users when interacting online.
There’s also a lot of work to be done in just letting people know what organisations and resources already exist in the battle for child protection and online safety, most of which is achievable by joining public and private sector forces.
For instance, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), a member organisation, provides a UK Hotline for reporting illegal online content, specifically child sexual abuse content, criminally obscene adult content and incitement to racial hatred content.
Once notified, it will work to close down these sites.
The coalition’s Cyber Security Strategy is embarking on a coherent approach to cyber security in which the Government, business, academia, organisations across all sectors, the public and international partners all have a part to play.
Educating the younger generation
Arguably Government, in union with the ‘Big Society’ envisaged by David Cameron, has a responsibility to educate young people.
The key is to set out guidelines with a view towards altering behaviours before people even log on. This will certainly be an important consideration reference the UK Government’s upcoming consultation with industry around the rising threat of cyber security.
By tackling these dangers head-on and protecting the vulnerable in society, we’re not suggesting a curtailment or limitation on our online activity. Quite the opposite.
Making the Internet a safer place to interact today will secure its role in shaping the world of tomorrow… and much for the better.
Neil Fisher is vice-president of global security solutions at Unisys
