Safer Internet Day 2019 is TODAY, how can you make sure your personal information stays secure online?
Stop cyber criminals stealing your data, and make sure your kids don't see anything they're too young for, with these tips
THE internet was one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century – offering you an encyclopedia of information at the click of your fingertips.
But concerns about safety, especially for children, persist. Here is how Safer Internet Day aims to help.
When is Safer Internet Day 2019?
Safer Internet Day is being celebrated around the world TODAY - Tuesday, February 5.
The aim is to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.
This year's slogan is to "create, connect and share respect: A better internet starts with you."
The day is led by three charities - Childnet, the South West Grid for Learning and the Internet Watch Foundation.
It calls on young people, their parents, carers, teachers, social workers, police and tech companies to join together and create a safer forum.
How can you make sure your details are safe online?
A survey by Row.co.uk found that 15 per cent of people are 'worried' about personal device surveillance and tracking.
Meanwhile, 6.7 per cent of the British public (4.2million people) tape over their laptop cameras and even Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg does the same.
And we have reason to be scared - stolen credit card information is sold for as little as £28 online, and login details for Hotmail and Gmail accounts for £90.
A 2014 survey from found that around a third of men (32.5 per cent) and 3.8 per cent of women watch porn daily - and many worry about the implications of a camera hack.
While the email addresses of 32million affair-seeking Ashley Madison customers were leaked in 2015.
And iCloud hacks have seen intimate pictures of celebs including Jennifer Lawrence, Pippa Middleton and TV presenter Diletta Leotta published online.
Sir Dunsmore added: “It worries me. I mean, the average man, or even woman, might look at porn through apps and everything you do is being recorded.
“I’m a married man with a young family, so I don’t do that, but it is a worry and it’s too late to do anything about it. Big Brother is already with us.”
How to keep yourself safe from hackers and scammers
- Make a 'strong' password with 8 or more characters and a combination of upper case characters, numbers and symbols
- Don't do online banking on public WiFi, unless absolutely necessary
- Don't click on dodgy email links claiming to be from banks
- Use different passwords for different sites
- Never re-use your main email password
- Use anti-virus software
- Don't accept Facebook friend requests or LinkedIn invitations from people you don't know
- Think before you put personal info on social media
- Find My iPhone, Android Lost and BlackBerry Protect all allow you to remotely wipe a stolen phone. Set this feature up
- Only shop online on secure sites
- Don't store your card details on websites
- Password protect your phone and other devices
How can you keep your kids safe online?
The NSPCC advise parents to sit down with your kids, and set strict rules about what they should and shouldn't be doing.
These could include limiting the amount of time they spend online, and which sites they are allowed to access.
You can also set up parental controls, to prevent them from downloading certain apps - and manage what different members of the family can see.
Net Aware, in partnership with the NSPCC and O2, has and websites such as Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, BBM and Habbo Hotel.
The aim is let parents how suitable they are for children, and offer advice about how old kids should be before downloading them.