From BBC News 13/02/2008:
Safer Internet Day is being marked around Europe with events to educate
children and parents about net dangers.
Themed events will reveal the risks of sharing too much personal data
and warn children that their virtual friends may not be who they say they are.
Public events will encourage parents to oversee their children's online
life so they know who they are talking to.
Raising public awareness and promoting good, safe online practices is half the battle in combating internet dangers. Children, of course, are particularly vulnerable and focussing on educating that section of the internet-using public in ways of increasing net safety is a no-brainer. I've always argued that computer security software can only do so much; educating people in safer, more responsible online practices is largely much more effective. After all, prevention is much better than cure.
If an international awareness day helps to achieve these objects, then I'm all for it. Good stuff.
It's a good idea, but I doubt that anyone would take it seriously...
ReplyDeleteYeah, know what you mean, Android. I was fighting that feeling when I actually wrote the post. There are so many official 'days' now, you'd probably garner more publicity through NOT having one. But still, if it gets people thinking about internet safety issues, I guess it's a starting point, eh?
ReplyDelete