It's Time to Normalize Speaking Out About Internet Safety

The internet is a convenient, wonderful, yet scary place.

We don’t let our kids walk down the street alone, but we allow them a smart device, which gives them them access to the dark web?

I remember being 14 years old and explaining to a peer exactly how the “world wide web” worked…

The perplexity on his face still amuses me today.

Me: “See like, the internet is made up of a massive network of specialized computers, we totally call these routers. So, like… each router’s job is to know how to move packets along from their source to their own little destination. Get it?! Good! So, a cute little thing-y called a “packet” will move through lots of routers during its journey. When a packet moves from one router to the next, it’s called a “hop”! Isn’t that cute? It reminds me of a bunny.”

Buddy C. (the cute boy I was going to marry) responded with something along the lines of; “Ummm, I think my mom is calling for dinner, you hear her?”

We didn’t even have cell phones back then, kids. He didn’t ask me to go to prom. Meh, I had IRC.

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These prehistoric online stories embarrass the children I work with.

Even the act of being online has rapidly evolved.

I mentor a 17 year old and I think about the opportunities he has at this fingertips.

While at Blockchain Week in Miami, I video chatted him from the the other side of the country so he could meet some of his heroes and tech “celebs”. His eyes got so big when people he’s watched online for years were giving him personal “hello’s!” and sending him well wishes and love.

I’ve effortlessly put him in instant message chat rooms with some of his heroes and we’ve taken this young man with us all over the world and let him work hand-in-hand with us, while he’s still planted in a desk, at school getting both a solid grounded education, and a ‘real life one’ via the power of the internet.

How I work with kind and loving geniuses to bring children online in the efforts to allow easier and safe paths to; education, natural resources, more opportunities in life and the ability to practice “real world skills” (like GIVE Nation’s mobile application! Found Here.)

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Being online has changed quite a bit since I first logged into IRC using free floppy disks from AT&T on a dialup modem!

Many in my generation desired information and education to be at our fingertips, instantly… We’ve obtained this.

Virtually anyone can pick up a smart device and gain information on any subject from anywhere in the world.

This is wonderful and makes life easier, but it can also be very dangerous.

With great power comes great responsibility.

Stan Lee wrote into Spiderman’s script “With great power comes great responsibility.” He took this quote first stated by Voltaire, then repeated by Winston Churchill, and now Peter Parker!

Frankly, if Spiderman said it… it must be true! (hehe)

What does responsibility look like?

One of my favorite Chinese Proverbs states, “If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.” GIVE Nation does all of these things- holding education and love as our first priority.

The first Tuesday of February notes “Safer Internet Day”.

This year we are happy to educate our community; young and old on how to be safe online.

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What is ‘SAFER INTERNET DAY’?

“Every year, Safer Internet Day brings tools, education, and awareness to create a safer internet for both kids and adults. From cyberbullying and identity theft to fraud and human trafficking, the internet can be a frightening place. Safer Internet Day and ConnectSafely.org aim to make the internet a better place.

The day brings organizations and individuals together with the common goal of reaching as many internet users as possible and provide them with the tools and resources to keep them safe. Every day, we all face the potential of becoming a victim of internet crimes. However, there are ways to protect ourselves and to teach our children how to correctly use the internet, too.

We use the internet to keep our families closer together. Schools use the internet to connect students to tools and resources. Thanks to the internet, libraries are able to share books all over the country creating a larger virtual library. Users bank, visit their physician, order medication and shop all from the comfort of their mobile devices.

Each interaction is expected to be respectful and positive. However, sometimes, we’re careless. Either we leave our device at risk or the communication leaves a negative reaction behind. As a world community, we can develop ways to make the internet a safer place to experience.” Source.

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SAFER INTERNET DAY HISTORY

“In the United States, Safer Internet Day U.S. campaign began in 2013. It is celebrated around the world in 100 countries and is a growing collaboration between U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the European Commission as well as support from Ask.fm, Comcast NBC Universal, Facebook, Google, LifeLock, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Symantec, Trend Micro, Twitter, and Yahoo. For more information visit; SaferInternetDayUS.org or ConnectSafely.org.” Source

HOW TO OBSERVE #SafterInternetDay

“Visit SaferInternetDayUS.org for information on making the internet safer and to join others in the effort. Use #SaferInternetDayUS to share on social media” .Source

Keeping your children PRIVATE online is helpful in keeping them SAFE online.

One of my favorite co-writers and bff’s for life, shared a helpful Twitter post on alternative online options for safety. Thank you, Matty Bv3 (Matthew Bardeleben).

Here’s what Matty recommends as a privacy consultant;

Email: ProtonMail > Gmail
Chatting: Signal > WhatsApp
Online Browsing: DuckDuckGo > Google
*Creating Documents: Libreoffice > MS Office
Work planning: @Mattermost > Slack
Document Sharing: Nextclouders > Dropbox

MattBv3 recommends more alternatives available privacytools.io

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GIVE Nation focuses on kids, obviously!

We are all big kids, aren’t we?!

For this reason we’d like to note a few tips to keep your children safe in the digital world.

Safety Net Kids has 10 wonderful tips to project the little minds and hearts that many of us parents forget ourselves.

Don’t post any personal information online — like your address, email address or mobile number.
Think carefully before posting pictures or videos of yourself. Once you’ve put a picture of yourself online most people can see it and may be able to download it, it’s not just yours anymore.
Keep your privacy settings as high as possible
Never give out your passwords
Don’t befriend people you don’t know
Don’t meet up with people you’ve met online. Speak to your parent or carer about people suggesting you do
Remember that not everyone online is who they say they are
Think carefully about what you say before you post something online
Respect other people’s views, even if you don’t agree with someone else’s views doesn’t mean you need to be rude
If you see something online that makes you feel uncomfortable, unsafe or worried: leave the website, turn off your computer if you want to and tell a trusted adult immediately. Source.

Parents; it’s 100% our responsibility to keep our children safe online.

If you allow your child a smart device and access to the internet, GIVE Nation and our partners strongly feel we should all work together to provide the safest options for our children.

Partnerships with Everipedia and Brave are among the few working with us to ensure your children are safe. (Thank you, Friends!!!!)

Please take this day to explain internet safety to your children and help be the amazing protector and provider you are by implementing safety precautions in your home.

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Also published here.