As more and more of our lives are conducted online, protecting your personal information has never been more important. You may already be pretty security savvy when it comes to your own information – but we want to help you help your loved ones become even more digitally safe.
Passwords, passwords, passwords
It’s the most obvious place to start – and one of the key protection elements to get right. Make sure that your parents, or any elderly people in your life are using unique passwords for each site that requires a password. Encourage them to look into a password manager, which will generate and store passwords for them (and is much more secure than a handwritten list of passwords they keep in their wallet).
No personal details to strangers
This guidance is probably quite useful for the older and younger generations. Impress upon your loved ones that they should never share any personal details with strangers – even if they have ‘mutual acquaintances’, or seem to be in a trying situation.
Keep software updated
The problems with software updates are two-fold. Firstly, a lot of people simply don’t know that not updating software can be a security risk. Secondly, a lot of people have a psychological block when it comes to updating their device. They worry that it will take too long, or that they won’t be able to use their device with any updates. You can help alleviate any fears by offering to do software updates for your loved ones (at least the first couple) and maybe even reminding them when you’re updating your device.
Switch on parental controls
For the younger generation, it’s important to have parental controls switched on on any devices they use – particularly if they’re ever using the device unsupervised.
As children get older and parental controls become less appropriate, it’s important to keep an open dialogue with older children about online safety. Encourage them to stop and think before sharing anything online.
Encourage credit report checks
For those old enough to have a credit report, encourage them to check in with it regularly to be sure that they recognise everything on it. Regular check-ins can help you spot fraudulent activity quickly.