Tag: digital security

Posted in 21st Century life, 21st Century parenting, digital kids, digital parenting strategies, parents and technology, personal data security, security questions

Should You Make Up Answers to Security Questions?

Posted on by Marti Weston
security-questions
Do your security question answers unlock too much information?

Why You Should Lie When Setting Up Password Security Questions, over at the Techlicious site, makes me seriously consider whether the use of security questions — and the answers that we provide —  should be re-evaluated. The 2018 article emphasizes the lack of security and privacy in our lives, and it notes that by giving responses that describe our personal lives we provide virtual keys that can open doors to potential identity theft problems.
Like a lot of people in the educational technology field, I spent a good deal of time helping 21st Century children understand the importance of not lying, especially about their ages. I  encouraged them not to engage in anonymous activities, and I counseled them to avoid sharing made-up information, gossip or innuendo via social media.   Continue reading “Should You Make Up Answers to Security Questions?” →

Posted in 21st Century parenting, digital habits, online security, parents and technology, personal data security, personal information

Check Out this Security Quiz From Kim Komando

Posted on by Marti Weston

 

Komando quiz
Click to take Kim Komando’s quiz.

Do you know how to check out a suspicious link? What does HTTPS mean? How can you distinguish a message with real information from one that is fake or, worse, a phishing scam that can cause real damage to your digital life?

 

Amazingly, most people think they are going about their 21st Century digital lives in a secure way, however, there are plenty of security loopholes and many ways that people unintentionally share their personal information — information that they do not intend to share. That there is lots of informatio that people do not apply as they go about their daily digital diversions.

Kim Komando’s website features a terrific security education feature — including some quizzes so check out her site. Komando’s information is useful for adults and kids.  Better yet, explore this site together. We all learn more when we work collaboratively!

Check out this quiz. You will be uncomfortably surprised about how much you do not know.

Posted in 21st Century life, 21st Century parenting, online security, parents and technology, privacy

So I Just Won’t Use the Cloud! Really?

Posted on by Marti Weston
cloud storage
Just a few of the sites where people I know store data and photos.

Over the past several days I’ve heard more people say that they will stop using the cloud — a reaction to the stolen pictures, possibly taken from iCloud, of movie stars and celebrities (September 2014).

Hmmm…  How about being a bit more realistic?

This is a great teaching moment for 21st Century parents, kids, and anyone who works with children. We need to remind ourselves that, no matter what a website tells us, our security depends on the many steps that each of us takes to protect and reinforce our information — passwords, privacy settings, 2-step verifications. Most of use the cloud, and often we don’t even think about it or take our privacy that seriously until something goes wrong.

Continue reading “So I Just Won’t Use the Cloud! Really?” →

Posted in acceptable use, digital citizenship, digital parenting, online safety, parents and technology

Read 10 Simple Steps to Internet Safety at Common Sense Media

Posted on by Marti Weston

Check out 10 Simple Steps to Internet Safety over at the Common Sense Media website. Actually it looks like there are eleven items for parents to review at the page.

As always, Common Sense Media hits the nail on the head with clear, well written, and to-the-point parenting information. I’ve inserted a list of the questions.

Pay special attention to the two questions that I’ve listed below:

  • How do I teach my kids to recognize online advertising?
  • Should I let my kid get a Facebook page?
Posted in digital learning, digital parenting, online safety, online security, parents and technology, scams and fraud

That Nasty Spam Won’t Affect Me … but It Did!

Posted on by Marti Weston

I know a lot about technology. I’ve taught people from preschool to aging seniors. I write blogs, participate in social media sites, and love my e-mail. I know enough to keep my digital accounts out of danger, until now, that is …

On Thursday early evening, I came home, terribly tired — maybe too tired to work on technology tasks. With a cup of tea, I sat down to look over my blogs and Twitter account where I discovered a funny message, from someone I know and respect. That Tweet reported on a not-so-nice Tweet about me, and I only needed to click on the link to check it out.

Now I have been teaching digital common sense and responsibility for nearly 20 years. I have made presentations to kids, parents, teachers, church members, seniors, and even newly arrived  immigrants about taking care, not opening attachments, and not clicking on links. But in this case, I did not even think about it. I clicked, and the naughty link did its work, sending out copies of the message to every one of my followers.

Continue reading “That Nasty Spam Won’t Affect Me … but It Did!” →