Internet usage varies among different age groups, but the fact remains that the more we rely on the Internet for everyday uses and entertainment, the more security issues there will be. Hackers capitalize on what’s popular, which is why so many cryptocurrency exchanges and gaming companies have fallen victim to cyber breaches over the last year. Internet Safety
Fortunately, there are many precautions that every user can take for internet safety. In this article, we’re going to discuss a few.
How To: Internet Safety
Every age group uses the Internet differently. For example, according to a 2021 ExpressVPN study, younger people use social media more than older generations, opting for platforms like Instagram and TikTok rather than Facebook. In part, this could be because younger generations use smartphones more than tablets, which means apps like TikTok that have user interfaces better suited for smartphones are more popular. Factors such as what devices a person uses and how they watch content can be combined together to gauge their relationship with technology and anyone looking to find this out can take a technological age quiz to see how it compares with their actual age.
However, regardless of the platform or device of choice, both technological age groups are at risk of internet safety issues. In fact, this is why the video-sharing app TikTok launched its Safety Advisory Council in 2021.
Password Management Systems
There are several ways to protect yourself from falling victim to cyber-criminals, and using a password management system is one of the most popular methods. These systems encrypt your private information and create complex passwords that hackers cannot easily guess. Likewise, passphrases are becoming more common than traditional passwords. A passphrase is a string of words that can reach 100 characters or more, rather than the conventional eight to 16 characters. Passphrases are more difficult to crack than passwords, and they are also easier to remember since they can be a sentence rather than a random mixture of words.
VPNs
Using a virtual private network (VPN) also gives you more online privacy since it creates a private network not connected to a public internet connection. An individual’s online activity becomes virtually untraceable when using a VPN, which means users can download files in public spots without worrying about cyber-criminals or businesses watching their online actions.
Educating Yourself
Taking action against internet safety issues by downloading VPNs or password management systems is just as important as educating yourself on the issue at hand. There are so many sub-sections of cybersecurity, which is why this issue was discussed at the 2019 B7 summit. For instance, phishing is a common form of cyberattack where hackers try to trick individuals into revealing personal information by pretending to be a legitimate website or source. Individuals need to be aware of what URLs they are clicking on in an email or social media message. Educating yourself on the subject is one way of doing this, but there are also security programs that you can download that recognize phishing URLs and block them.
The internet has enriched our lives in so many ways, regardless of an individual’s technological age and the platforms and devices they choose to use. However, with popularity comes consequence, and we now have to be actively aware of cybersecurity in all areas of the Internet. Fortunately, there are many ways Internet safety rules can help protect your online activity.
