Safer Internet Day 2024
Hi everyone! 😊
Today’s February 6, which is also Safer Internet Day!
Started in 2004, Safer Internet Day has evolved into a global event, so it’s no wonder that this event has spilled over into 7 Cups!
That means we will be celebrating 20 years of Safer Internet Day!
The internet is an awesome place, where you can find useful information, enjoy entertainment, or interact with peers from the other side of the planet, from the comfort of your home. It’s also a place where you can express yourself anonymously.
I am not saying that all the people you meet on the Internet are bad. Rather, it’s a mix of genuinely nice, moderate, and bad people on the Internet. The power of anonymity provided by the Internet makes it easier to misuse the Internet for doing harmful things, like stalking, harassment, spamming, etc.
But that doesn’t mean that you can switch off the Internet yet! It often helps to have a few useful tips to stay safe when going online on the web. Some general internet safety tips are:
Don’t share your passwords with anyone
Hide or don’t reveal your real-life information wherever possible
Be careful about clicking on links
Do you have any tips for staying safe online (general, as well as on 7 Cups)? Share them below 😀
This year, let’s make the Internet a safer place for everyone!
Useful resources:
Official website for Safer Internet Day: https://www.saferinternetday.org
(all text in blue are clickable)
@AuRewolf
Yay thank you for this amazing post, and for the general tips, very very important ones hehe.💛
I soooo wish everyone was more mindful and kind towards each other, having some decent morals in their life, so none of us would have to worry about the safety in the online world as well but eh some of these techy-smartypants being all sneaky and fraudulent just make it so needed for us to try and be as safe as possible. (':
Not revealing a lot of personal information and about self is definitely the #1 safety tip for me too. Plus yes avoiding links, unknown sites etc as much possible!
Looking forward to more tips from our peers!💛
@MistyMagic @ASilentObserver and @Heather225 always have something cool to offer on this subject!🥰
20 years is wild!! Thanks for the info and for this fantastic homage to SID!
@AuRewolf
Great tips! I will add:
Our offsite rule exists to protect you. When you move the interaction offsite, you lose the safeguards and moderation tools offered by out platform. This includes reporting mechanisms, community guidelines, and the platform's ability to monitor activity for harmful behavior.
If something goes wrong after going offsite, we cannot intervene or help. What you do off the site is at your discretion so we can't hold anyone accountable for their actions not on our platform! You may think, oh that would never happen to me - until it does. Please be safe and careful with your anonymity.
@Heather225
Heather! I love this platform but how in God's name are you going to "protect" everyone here.
@CalmRosebud
When I say "protect" in the context of the post, I am referring to protecting anonymity. Like I said, when you move the interaction offsite, our capability to assist in the event of something happening between users engaging off the platform is limited. We can't use the platform's safeguards and moderation tools, reporting mechanisms, community guidelines, etc. to resolve issues not on Cups. No one can protect everyone; that's why teaching safety and preventative measures is so important. Hope this helps.
@Heather225
Right! Thanks for the response.
My personal experience with "reporting" etc., has been----- checkered.
So, I prefer to "protect myself."
Kindly,
Rose
@AuRewolf thanks for the inspiring thread.
I tell people at 7 Cups who want to share personal contact info on 7 Cups that it is their safety that the guidelines are set up for. There are many instances of people getting the social media or other offsite contact and starting to try to get money from them by blackmail or untrue promises. People do not show enough caution.
The only way to stay completely safe is to remain anonymous without exceptions. The person may seem to be nice, but some of the people I meet turn out to be scammers and con artists. They do not wear signs identifying their real intentions and they are very personable and convincing people. That is why they are so successful. Not sharing personal contact info or even your whole last name is really important to stay safe. This includes your blog, Youtube channel and any other document or site where your personal info is available.
@soulsings
Well said, Soul! Thank you for being such a gentle mentor and a safe presence in our community.
The anonimity can make people feel more comfortable being rude, but it can also make people feel more comfortable being nice, when there are many people who fear being perceived as weak for showing emotions and being vulnerable with others.
People who may need to act tough, and rude and selfish to keep themselves safe irl can use this same anonimity to still be able to help others with kind acts/words.