The 3 Biggest Digital Threats And How To Protect Yourself
It’s no surprise that we are in the middle of the digital age. Our digital footprints are bigger as we do almost everything online – shopping, banking, streaming, working, etc. This means, however, that we need to be aware of the dangers of our digital worlds. Strategic business & technology advisor Bernard Marr shares an article on Forbes about the subtle threats that are part of online life – and what you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones.
- Digital addiction. “This can span any type of addiction related to digital pastimes, including social media addiction, internet addiction, phone addiction and gaming addiction. Much of the time spent on smartphones likely revolves around social media, but there’s no doubt that phones themselves have become something we automatically reach for when we want to feel validated or absorbed. We’re losing the ability to be idle and alone with our thoughts, even for a few moments.”What to do about it: set time limits for specific apps, set a bedtime or do not disturb mode, turn off app notification to reduce temptation, or even delete the most distracting apps from your phone.
- Cyberbullying. “According to the leading UK bullying charity, Bullying UK, 56 percent of young people have seen others be bullied online. We must all learn to recognize cyberbullying, teach our children what cyberbullying looks like, and take appropriate action when it occurs.”What to do about it: Educate yourself and your kids about cyberbullying and what you can do to avoid or not participate in it, learn to spot signs that you or your child or friends are being bullied online, know your rights (i.e. how to report and the guidelines for reporting cyber bullies and who to report it to), block those users on social media or online forums. Cyber bullying can also just be a post or inappropriate targeted content that you can also report for removal.
- Digital impersonation. “As more of our lives go online (including images, videos, and recordings of us), digital identity theft is becoming more of a threat. Fraudsters create social media accounts that use someone else’s (or even an organization’s) name, image, and other identifying features to create fake accounts. Even if your identity isn’t used by fraudsters, there’s still a risk that you could be interacting with fake accounts online.What to do about it: be on the lookout for fake social media accounts, adjust your privacy settings to avoid being targeted, be vigilant when accepting request or talking to people online, do a regular search of your name and look for any false posts or identities, think carefully about the content you share online – it might be used by fraudsters to create authentic looking accounts in your name to trick people you know.
The digital world is unavoidable and while it will never be 100% secure, you can take small measures to keep yourself safe from the threats online.
