What We Can All Learn From the ‘Safer Internet Day’ Campaign

With an alarming 80,000 cyberattacks occurring each day, we can count on at least 30 million incidents by the end of 2021. Internet safety is no joke, especially as our world becomes more digitized and interconnected with every passing day.

You should never merely accept the fact that we are vulnerable any time you open an app, message someone, input payment information, and so on. Instead, you must proactively protect yourself and raise awareness so that others can take the necessary steps to ensure they don’t fall victim to an online attack or scam. This is what has inspired numerous online safety campaigns, like the ‘Safer Internet Day’ event that was founded in 2004.

Every year, celebrities, social media influencers, content creators, adults, and children around the world band together to spread awareness about online transparency and safety. This year, ‘Safer Internet Day’ took place on February 9th, and there are some important learnings from this day.

Don’t Feed the Trolls

“Trolling” is a popular term used to describe online verbal harassment. These trolls often keep their identity concealed by using fake images and pseudonyms as they post hurtful comments and send threatening or disparaging messages. Fortunately, many social media platforms have taken actionable steps to both block and filter this type of content before it affects its users; however, they are often too late. This is why combatting the trolls was such a huge topic on ‘Safer Internet Day’. While causing a bit of strife is as far as most attackers will go, when engaged, some might attempt to take matters a step further, posing a great threat to your well-being. As they thrive on conflict, the best way forward is to report any negative activity and then blocking the attacker’s profile.

Think Twice Before Meeting People In Person

Meeting up with someone in person is always a gamble, and children should never do so without the supervision of an adult. As the internet is the dwelling place of fake personalities, ‘Safer Internet Day’ aimed to ensure that all meetups go without a hitch. For one, you should always meet in a public area. This is because attackers rarely show their faces in places where others can identify them. It is also advised to never give out your address or ride in a vehicle with someone you just met. If you notice any suspicious behavior or feel uncomfortable at any point, leave or call for help immediately.

How Online Platforms Are Getting Involved For the Cause

Various platforms made a point of getting involved in ‘Safer Internet Day’ by creating their own content and activities to better impact the future of the internet, and many of them have made it a full-time effort by buckling down on their standards and guidelines. Many social network providers have begun to ban both content and participants that pose a threat to other users, yet and still, there is much to be done to make the internet a more secure, respectable place.

MyLife.com has made its mark by fighting for online transparency on a daily basis, not just for ‘Safer Internet Day’. Their platform allows users to retrieve important background and reputation information on someone they are engaging with online so that they have all the information on-hand to make the best decision regarding their safety. Some of the information you can see includes Reputation Profiles, Reputation Scores, arrest records, court documents, and reviews made by other individuals. If anything you discover on MyLife.com makes you feel uncomfortable or uneasy about the person in question, end all communication so you don’t make yourself any more vulnerable.

Whether you choose to read through a few blogs, share a couple of insightful videos, or even get involved in a local campaign on next year’s ‘Safer Internet Day’, you are sure to make a difference. The more we, as a community, speak out on what it means to be responsible online users, the closer we get to a more positive future.