Pause before posting online | #makeITsafePH
The Philippines now has 67 million Internet users, with all of them active on social media, according to the “Digital in 2018” report of Hootsuite, a US-based social media management platform.
While internet use has enabled the delivery of helpful information to a wider audience, it has also given rise to Internet-related crimes such as rape, theft, bullying, and piracy which made the public, especially the youth, very vulnerable.
There are companies like Globe Telecom who take this situation seriously through their #makeITsafePH cybersecurity and cyber wellness campaign.
The campaign aims to educate consumers about online threats and what they can do to avoid becoming a victim. It also teaches the public proper online etiquette so that they would not become a source of such deplorable behavior.
Find out below how our information stored and used, how we can use the internet in a positive way and reduce harming ourselves and those around us.
When we go online, we leave digital footprints. These are information and activities that we do online that can be traced.
Browsing the web. Our web browsing activity is stored as cookies. "Cookies" pertain to the files that are downloaded to our computer when we visit a website. While some websites don’t warn us that they use cookies, there are some that do which is a good practice.
One time, I visited the website of the Washington State University in order to get their exact brand colors for the design that I was doing for a going-away dinner invitation of a friend whose son is enrolled in the said university. After that website visit, I noticed that a WSU ad keeps showing up on some other websites that I browsed for about two weeks. Google used my cookies to show me the WSU ad wherever I go on the internet.
Sign Up and Log In. Sites that requires us to sign up and log in such as social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc) and forums gather our information such as location, gender, name, contacts stored in our phone or computer and even the page/s we previously browsed are immediately collected by these sites.
Facebook uses our data to follow us around and then presents us with information that might interest us based on our personal information and online behavior.
Some measures to take are (1) Clear your cache (that includes the cookies) after using your browser. You can find this in Settings in your web browser i.e. Chrome, Firefox, Safari (2) Don’t use the email address associated with your bank account like Paypal or stocks purchases for other subscriptions. Best to have a secondary email to use when signing up for online newsletters, social media, etc. Regularly check your email for linked accounts. (3) Make your passwords unique and don’t use the same password for all accounts online. While some websites say they don’t store your password, most of them do. Don’t share your passwords with anyone and as much as possible, don’t store them online. (4) Check your privacy settings. (5) Google yourself regularly, say, every 3 months and check what turns out. You may set up a Google alert for your name so that whenever there is a post that has your name on it, you will be alerted through email. (6) Build positive digital footprints.
Now that you have a sense of how to protect your information online, there’s also the matter of self-discipline which could help you build a positive reputation online.
Did you offer kind advice to a sad friend? Did you share news or quotes with the aim of making someone’s life better? Did you share intelligent and helpful comments?
Did you get naked during a wild night out with friends and posted it online? Did you make a remark that discriminates against a person or group on social media? Did you rant against an employer or a client on social media?
While “keeping it real on social media” is encouraged, it’s better to not say anything if it’s not nice, encouraging, or helpful. Leaving positive digital footprints can help you, while inappropriate ones could hurt your chances of getting a job, a client or respect from peers.
Here's how to have positive digital footprints and online reputation:
Know which posts are appropriate and inappropriate. Sadly, some parents are always excited to post photos of their children, especially babies. Before doing so, ask yourself if this photo is appropriate and if this is something that makes your child proud or embarrassed on seeing it online after 10 or 15 years.
One time, a business owner posted a rant against a customer. Being a customer myself, I was turned off. Another time, a mother posted a photo of her 7-year-old daughter, naked inside a bathtub.
Let’s say these posts were deleted. But what if someone took a screenshot of these posts, made it viral, and reached the person concerned?
Keep private information private. Personal information such as an address, contact details, age, and current location are considered private. So are sexual acts.
Guard against cyberbullying. There are legal and emotional repercussions for cyberbullying and harassment either through direct rants or humor (a jest shared verbally would be taken as a joke, but it may sound like an insult or bullying when written on social media).
(a) Will this information help me and others or am I just venting? (b) Should this be posted publicly or communicated privately? (c) Will people understand what I'm saying? (d) Did I overshare today? More than 3 posts are excessive. (e) Will my post make someone feel better? (f) Will this violate someone else's privacy? (g) Am I wording my comment in such a way that it sounds respectful rather than insulting?
Anger, frustration, or any mood that pushed us to post is temporary but what’s posted online could last forever. Pause before you post./
While internet use has enabled the delivery of helpful information to a wider audience, it has also given rise to Internet-related crimes such as rape, theft, bullying, and piracy which made the public, especially the youth, very vulnerable.
There are companies like Globe Telecom who take this situation seriously through their #makeITsafePH cybersecurity and cyber wellness campaign.
The campaign aims to educate consumers about online threats and what they can do to avoid becoming a victim. It also teaches the public proper online etiquette so that they would not become a source of such deplorable behavior.
Find out below how our information stored and used, how we can use the internet in a positive way and reduce harming ourselves and those around us.
DIGITAL FOOTPRINTS: HOW OUR INFORMATION IS COLLECTED AND USED
When we go online, we leave digital footprints. These are information and activities that we do online that can be traced.
Browsing the web. Our web browsing activity is stored as cookies. "Cookies" pertain to the files that are downloaded to our computer when we visit a website. While some websites don’t warn us that they use cookies, there are some that do which is a good practice.
One time, I visited the website of the Washington State University in order to get their exact brand colors for the design that I was doing for a going-away dinner invitation of a friend whose son is enrolled in the said university. After that website visit, I noticed that a WSU ad keeps showing up on some other websites that I browsed for about two weeks. Google used my cookies to show me the WSU ad wherever I go on the internet.
Sign Up and Log In. Sites that requires us to sign up and log in such as social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc) and forums gather our information such as location, gender, name, contacts stored in our phone or computer and even the page/s we previously browsed are immediately collected by these sites.
Facebook uses our data to follow us around and then presents us with information that might interest us based on our personal information and online behavior.
Some measures to take are (1) Clear your cache (that includes the cookies) after using your browser. You can find this in Settings in your web browser i.e. Chrome, Firefox, Safari (2) Don’t use the email address associated with your bank account like Paypal or stocks purchases for other subscriptions. Best to have a secondary email to use when signing up for online newsletters, social media, etc. Regularly check your email for linked accounts. (3) Make your passwords unique and don’t use the same password for all accounts online. While some websites say they don’t store your password, most of them do. Don’t share your passwords with anyone and as much as possible, don’t store them online. (4) Check your privacy settings. (5) Google yourself regularly, say, every 3 months and check what turns out. You may set up a Google alert for your name so that whenever there is a post that has your name on it, you will be alerted through email. (6) Build positive digital footprints.
BUILD POSITIVE DIGITAL FOOTPRINTS
Now that you have a sense of how to protect your information online, there’s also the matter of self-discipline which could help you build a positive reputation online.
Did you offer kind advice to a sad friend? Did you share news or quotes with the aim of making someone’s life better? Did you share intelligent and helpful comments?
Did you get naked during a wild night out with friends and posted it online? Did you make a remark that discriminates against a person or group on social media? Did you rant against an employer or a client on social media?
While “keeping it real on social media” is encouraged, it’s better to not say anything if it’s not nice, encouraging, or helpful. Leaving positive digital footprints can help you, while inappropriate ones could hurt your chances of getting a job, a client or respect from peers.
Here's how to have positive digital footprints and online reputation:
Know which posts are appropriate and inappropriate. Sadly, some parents are always excited to post photos of their children, especially babies. Before doing so, ask yourself if this photo is appropriate and if this is something that makes your child proud or embarrassed on seeing it online after 10 or 15 years.
One time, a business owner posted a rant against a customer. Being a customer myself, I was turned off. Another time, a mother posted a photo of her 7-year-old daughter, naked inside a bathtub.
Let’s say these posts were deleted. But what if someone took a screenshot of these posts, made it viral, and reached the person concerned?
Keep private information private. Personal information such as an address, contact details, age, and current location are considered private. So are sexual acts.
Guard against cyberbullying. There are legal and emotional repercussions for cyberbullying and harassment either through direct rants or humor (a jest shared verbally would be taken as a joke, but it may sound like an insult or bullying when written on social media).
CHECKLIST BEFORE POSTING
(a) Will this information help me and others or am I just venting? (b) Should this be posted publicly or communicated privately? (c) Will people understand what I'm saying? (d) Did I overshare today? More than 3 posts are excessive. (e) Will my post make someone feel better? (f) Will this violate someone else's privacy? (g) Am I wording my comment in such a way that it sounds respectful rather than insulting?
Anger, frustration, or any mood that pushed us to post is temporary but what’s posted online could last forever. Pause before you post./
