Safer Internet Day (SID):
Safer Internet Day (SID) is organized by Insafe in February of each year to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people across the world.
Safer Internet Day 2014 was celebrated on 11 February 2014, with the strapline of “Let’s create a better internet together”. The day was a great success.
Like any observance day, Safer Internet Day also promises lot of opportunities to making the cyber space a very positive and creative tool for each Netizen.
Safer Internet Day was initiated by the European commission and in due time the whole world has embraced the concept and stated observing globally. DISC Foundation (Developing Internet Safe Community) is the formal committee to observe this event in India.
ABOUT SAFER INTERNET DAY:
Over the years, Safer Internet Day (SID) has become a landmark event in the online safety calendar. Starting as an initiative of the EU SafeBorders project in 2004 and taken up by the Insafe network (www.saferinternet.org) as one of its earliest actions in 2005, Safer Internet Day has grown beyond its traditional geographic zone and is now celebrated in more than 100 countries worldwide, and across all continents.
From cyber bullying to social networking, each year Insafe aims to be at the forefront of emerging online issues and chooses a topic reflecting current concerns. For SID 2013 we focused on online rights and responsibilities, as we encouraged users to ‘connect with respect’. For SID 2014, the focus will be on “Let’s create a better internet together“.
Insafe, a network set up within the Safer Internet Programme
In 1999, the European Commission (EC) created the Safer Internet Programme, with the aim of promoting safe, responsible use of the internet by children and young people, and protecting them from illegal and harmful content and conduct online. The programme is managed by the Directorate General for Information, Society and Media and highlights the shared responsibility of NGOs, educational establishments, law enforcement bodies, industry and families in online safety initiatives across the European Union member states. In 2004, the Insafe network was set up to spearhead awareness activities within the Safer Internet Programme.
View the 2014 SID video spot here…
To find out more about Safer Internet Day and how it started, watch this video:
How to protect yourself:
- Don’t use your personal information like birth date as your password or user ID
- Don’t use, easy security question others can be guessed for password recovery option.
- Don’t leave passwords for plain view like notebooks, or on the desktop of your computer.
- Don’t use the same password for multiple sites.
- Do create a strong password which is more than 8 characters long with a mix of capital letters, numbers and signals.
- Do check for the address of the website before you enter your financial information. Often crooks use fake sites with a slightly different domain name to cheat people.
- Do stay away from illegal activities like watching pornography. Watching child pornography will invite swift action from the authorities that may land you in prison.
- Do not install free unknown software in your computer. The software may be useful for all the purposes it was intended, but it can be a spyware too. Your personal information and data can be sent to distant servers by this kind of spyware.
- Above all, be a responsible Netizen. Remember that all the laws which are applicable in the real world are applicable in the cyberspace too. There is no real anonymity for your actions in the internet.
And while SID 2014 have now passed, Safer Internet Day 2015 date is now set for Tuesday, 10 February 2015 – mark the date in your diaries, and keep checking for the latest information.
Wish you all the best and hope
Enjoy your life online, Stay safe, and Stay in control