Safer Internet Day 2021

By Caitlin MacWilliams, Marketing Specialist at Smart IS International

Safer Internet Day in the U.S. is observed and celebrated in the year 2021 on Tuesday, February 9th. Originating in Europe in 2004, Safer Internet Day is now a global day to acknowledge how the internet can be a safe and secure place with our help.

“Safer Internet Day aims to create both a safer and a better internet, where everyone is empowered to use technology responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively.” (SID-USA.org)

The Safer Internet Day campaign aims to spread awareness to children, young adults, parents, educators, industry experts, and many more individuals to encourage positivity while online. The Safer Internet Day slogan, “Together for a better internet”, encourages individuals to come together and play their part.

The theme for Safer Internet Day in the U.S. is “The Internet starts with I & ends with T”. This theme aims for individuals to take personal responsibility for their own actions while online. In addition, this theme signifies that everyone plays a role on the internet. A safer internet is a place where individuals can respect each other while enjoying a positive digital experience together.

While online, it is important to remember the following cybersecurity best practices:

• Share responsibly so false information is not spread.
• Protect all accounts and devices.

— Each account should be protected with a unique and easy to remember password.

— Passwords should not be shared among different accounts and should contain letters, numbers as well as characters.

— It is important to update your passwords for each account and device on a regular basis.

— Keep data safe and secure by enabling multi-factor authentication.

• Avoid sharing personal and financial information while online.

— Educate yourself on online risks such as viruses, phishing attacks and even bots.

— Thoroughly review emails and messages before responding.

— Do not click on any links or open any attachments that you were not expecting.

— Verify a website or social platform for legitimacy.

— Think before posting on social media or entering your financial information while online shopping to ensure online thieves do not collect your personal data.

• Verify all software and applications on your devices are current and up to date.

— Protect your personal data by continuously updating your downloaded applications to ensure they provide security.

— Monitor which websites you visit and the applications you use while connected to public Wi-Fi.

Safer Internet Day brings awareness online best practices to ensure our internet is both a safe place to explore and an engaging platform for individuals to connect on. Together we can focus on providing tools that allow individuals to feel safe and empowered while online.

Visit SID-USA.org to learn more about Safer Internet Day.