How to help non-technical friends and family stay safe on the Internet: GetSafeOnline

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Eileen recently wrote a post titled Security for the 78 year olds which referred to an interview with Scott Charney (head of Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing initiative) who talked about his experience advising his mother on the need for security precautions - here are a couple of quotes:

"I told her she really needed to get broadband, but to make sure to have a firewall -- and she asked me why broadband causes fires."

"The reality is my mom doesn't want to become a system administrator, and she does not want to become a security administrator."

Given the ever increasing amount of jargon used by technology aware consumers and the prevelance of Internet based technologies it's hardly surprising that there are a large number of people who simply don't know where to start staying safe on the Internet.

Get Safe Online's website is a good place to point your non-technical friends and family as it explains in plain English how to stay safe on the Internet and what things like Firewalls are and why you need one. It's a vendor independant website that's useful for those on Apple Macs, LINUX and Microsoft Windows based systems.   

Get Safe Online, the UK’s first national internet security awareness campaign, is a joint initiative between the Government, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and private sector sponsors from the worlds of technology, retail and finance. The campaign raises awareness of the need for internet security, and provides information, advice and updates through its website: www.getsafeonline.org. It is one of our highest profile Citizenship initiatives.

Get Safe Online Awareness Week is being held from 12th to 16th November. The week will comprise a comprehensive range of activities, designed to reach consumers and micro-businesses with the Get Safe Online message, as well as a range of key stakeholders from the worlds of Government, NGOs, trade organisations, charities and the private sector. Once again, one of the main events is the Get Safe Online Roadshow which will visit SIX key cities throughout the UK in 3 days. Volunteers with technical security expertise will be visiting the following cities in the UK:

Tuesday, 13 Nov Tour 1: Edinburgh / Tour 2: Bristol
Wednesday, 14 Nov       Tour 1: Newcastle / Tour 2: Cardiff
Thursday, 15 Nov Tour 1: Manchester / Tour 2: Birmingham