Safe internet depends only on you – Rádio Câmara
In this edition of the program Talking about the futurejournalist Beth Veloso provides advice on how to browse the Internet safely.
A safe internet depends on you. Trust me. How you experience the web is the way to secure browsing. Basically, security requires a change in attitude towards the computer network. The Internet is not a shopping center, as Christian Fuchs, one of the greatest thinkers of the network, says.
It’s not a talk show or a public square, according to Castells, the network’s sociologist.
It is not a place to make friends that we will never find. The network challenge is the same one you and I face every day.
The Internet is real life. Reality as we see it, full of good and bad things.
The network reproduces everyday life, in its risks and opportunities.
So be yourself online. Be attentive. Be safe! Be safe!
Just like at home, lock the door when entering and exiting the computer. Close social media, log out every day. Do not click on unknown links. There is no need for them to be suspicious. If you’re going to buy something, give your password or personal information, make sure the page has a closed padlock, the one in the corner of the page.
If not, turn around and find another way to do what you want.
Just like on the street; on the internet, don’t talk to strangers. Don’t talk about personal stuff, I say. Do not accept gifts or connections from anyone you do not know.
Just like in bars and parties, don’t go around saying everything you think. Don’t repeat what you don’t know. Don’t give the bill as a babbler or an ignoramus. Don’t share doubts and then ask: I don’t know if it’s true. Do you realize this makes no sense?
Just like you do when you’re busy at work, don’t answer online surveys or use apps to make you look younger or know what your future holds, or give out information about yourself. No one is paying you to do this.
To stay safe online, your attitude must be minimalist.
Less is more.
It’s easy to talk to those who don’t work online, who don’t make a living from it. If not, keep the security tools and try to update the software version of your device and apps whenever prompted.
Just like you don’t type your card password into a bank queue, never, ever share your online passwords. Not from Netflix or any other online platform. Often the password is the same for another important environment. Share sales, share moments, not passwords.
Create a logical rule to update your password from time to time. Like, for example, name and phone number and keep alternating numbers and symbols.
The biggest attacks come in a simple way, i.e. through your email or WhatsApp account on your computer. This is what Fábio Costa, a consultant to the Brazilian association of software companies, Abes, teaches and specializes in malicious code and advanced persistent attacks. The gateway to the worst attacks, such as those suffered by several courts, such as TRF-1, in 2020, was simply the justice server email, simple as that. The attack affected more than 50 databases.
As in traffic, the Internet maxim applies here: when in doubt, don’t cross.
Don’t take for granted that the bank will reimburse you if someone withdraws money from your account.
Don’t think that Apple and its firewall or firewall will prevent your computer from being hacked.
Don’t think you’re safe just because you can’t see anyone on the other side of your computer screen.
Brazil has important laws. Congress has done a lot. Internet Civil Rights Framework, Child Act, Caroline Dieckmann Act, Consumer Protection Act and Criminal Code. These are laws that offer tools to fight cybercrime. Password theft, computer hacking, account cloning, scams of all kinds, scams using the internet connected to a phone call.
But why is digital crime on the rise?
The figures of money stolen from accounts in such scams are in the millions and inaccurate. Not even worth mentioning here. They are abstractions.
The crime of discovering packages of pornographic images sold only on social networks, many of them with children, at a bargain price, has increased by more than 40% this year alone, said Daniela de Almeida, of the Brazilian Bar Association, OAB, in hearing in the House Science and Technology Committee in June of this year. Crime-fighting authorities feel like they’re cutting ice. They are asking for approval of Bill 3993/20[1]which requires proof of age to access digital platforms and sites with adult content.
Because crime pays, for internet application companies, for social networks and for criminals.
Disinformation pays off.
The pornographic industry makes a profit.
Bank fraud drives the digital economy.
Combating such behavior requires more than business commitment.
Ethical commitment to human values is needed because reducing internet traffic hurts digital businesses.
Now I will give four golden tips, to summarize everything we have said:
- Do not watch or encourage pornography
- Do not click on unknown links on social networks
- Follow your intuition. As Camila Zen, my digital spiritual guru, says, use your head to reach your heart: your intuition is the best yellow light against a cyber attack. Believe. She doesn’t fail.
- Control your anxiety. As? Do a social media detox. Live is better. Reduce the number of hours online. The calm it brings turns into composure. And awareness saves you from problems with the Internet. Think first, click later. Post, not always. Exit automatically. Believe. It works. You are your wall against digital crime.
Finally, let’s go with this sentence by John Philpot, which I love: “the price of freedom is eternal vigilance”.
Until the next program.
Safe and abuse-free internet for everyone.
Communicate with us. Tell your stories and how you got out of trouble by sending an email to papodefuturo@camara.leg.br
[1] Available at: https://www.camara.leg.br/noticias/680533-projeto-exige-comprovacao-de-idade-para-acessar-site-de-conteudo-adulto/. Accessed on March 10, 2022.
The content of this comment does not represent the position of the Legislative Council or the House of Representatives, but is the sole responsibility of the author.
Commentary – Beth Veloso
Presentation – Marcio Achilles Sardi
