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Is the Internet becoming safer or more dangerous? Thisquestion is posed by the Safer Internet Day 2020 (SID) event, which calls attentionto a subject that should raise more significant concern than it does,especially when it comes to kids and their interactions with the online world.

Safer Internet Day comes every February with a clear purpose. The event promotes the responsible use of online technologies, especially by children and young people. Like any other problem, society wont be able to deal with it unless people are made aware that such issues even exist.

Under the motto Together for a betterinternet, the campaign focuses on how the Internet can be made safer forall users, and especially kids. Children are the most exposed because adultsare more likely to know what they are doing and how they are exposing theirlives online, but kids can lack such filters.

Companies and other institutions are working to createsafe environments, and some initiatives are more successful than others. In2019, one measure stood above all. A recent settlement between Google and U.S.Federal Trade Commission forced the company to make changes to online servicewith worldwide repercussions.

We are changing how we treat data for childrens contenton YouTube. Starting in about four months, we will treat data from anyonewatching childrens content on YouTube as coming from a child, regardless ofthe age of the user, said the company.

YouTube is the best example of a positive change that hasa tangible impact on Internet safety. Content creators now have ensured theircontent is labeled for children, which changes how website visitors are trackedacross the Internet.

While the changes made by Google to YouTube are a step inthe right direction, numerous other websites provide content to kids withoutlabeling it correctly, which only begs for the usage of a proper parentalcontrol solution.

We also have to keep in mind that data breaches occur allthe time, and sometimes they directly affect websites storing personal datasuch as names, email addresses, credit card information, and much more. Infact, using a tool that lets people know in real-time whether their data is wasleaked via a breach is the ideal scenario.

A better and safer Internet can be achieved by peopleusing a few good security practices. More often than not, basic securitymeasures are shirked or simply ignored. Using robust passwords, different foreach online service, and employing a powerful parental control solution shouldbe the bare minimum for all users.

How companies choose to deal with this type of data inthe future remains to be determined, but the current momentum is to stop themfrom using metadata for marketing purposes. Events such as the Safer InternetDay 2020 reminds everyone that users and corporations share the responsibilityfor privacy.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from HOTforSecurity authored by Silviu STAHIE. Read the original post at: https://hotforsecurity.bitdefender.com/blog/safer-internet-day-2020-together-for-a-better-internet-22268.html

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Safer Internet Day 2020 Together for a better internet - Security Boulevard