Keeping Adults Safe on the Internet

The truth is that adults and children share many of the same Internet risks - but due to the large amounts of information adults store online, they could be even more at risk than youngsters.

For example, only recently, the Guardian Jobs web site was hacked, compromising the personal data of millions of users who posted their CVs online. Banks, online stores, social networking and dating sites  as well as blogs have been targeted by attackers and fraudsters. Just in December 2009, Suffolk County National Bank announced a security breach on one of its online banking servers with 8,378 customer credentials stolen. This breach shows that even apparently trustworthy web sites need to be treated with caution.

To help people avoid security breaches and choose where to navigate safely, its important that adults are educated about Internet risks not only to protect themselves, but those around them, as well as their children.  To support this, there are some innovative initiatives taking place that focus on protecting people online, making the Internet safer for everyone.

For example, the UK Crime And Disorder Reduction Partnership has been granted Nominet Trust funding to kick-start the development of a strategic approach to protecting individuals and businesses from crime, anti-social behaviour and nuisance activity online.  The project will complete an 'audit' of Internet-related crime, complementing the work of law enforcement and implementing a preventative approach to Internet crime.

When used carefully, the Internet is a great tool that can indeed make our lives easier. Only by ensuring that all adults with access to the Internet are well aware of the risks they may encounter while surfing the web, can we limit criminal activity online and make the Internet a helpful and safe platform for everyone.