Safer Internet Day 2018

The Internet is an essential invention that has undoubtedly changed the world in more ways than we can imagine. Not all of these changes, unfortunately, are positive. We can connect faster to other people, find content easier and transfer various information very fast but care is needed for the safety of the user, because these communication advantages can be a big problem for their safety, since much of our lives and private information are transferred over the internet.

Concerned with creating mechanisms for an increasingly diversified and democratic Internet and to promote human rights, in 2004, Insafe launched a Safe Internet initiative, an annual initiative to engage and unite the different actors, public and private, in promoting awareness-raising activities around the use of safe, ethical and responsible ICT in schools, universities, NGOs and on the Internet. The day is celebrated on the first Tuesday of February and started as a campaign to raise awareness about Internet security in Europe and now has grown exponentially and is celebrated in more than 100 countries around the world seeking to involve different people and sectors in actions to raise awareness, guidance, prevention, self-care and to promote the use of insurance and citizenship online.

How to participate?

Safernet, an NGO responsible for coordinating Safer Internet Day actions in Brazil, makes available on its website various materials and action guides for more people to engage in as multipliers of actions and contributions to a more positive Internet. The suggested activities, in general, are focused on bringing the discussion to educational spaces for children and teenagers. Various materials, booklets, handouts, and lesson plans for educators and people interested in bringing the discussion to their environments are available as campaign materials, so if you are interested in bringing a discussion of human rights protection on the internet to your students, several very interesting materials can be found in the Safernet support guide.

Another way to participate, in addition to face-to-face activities is donating and scheduling posts on your site, blog, social network on Thunderclap (An application used for social causes where it is possible to schedule posts for a certain cause), including safer internet day, anyone can be converted into a supporter of the campaign, when the number of supporters needed is achieved, a message is published on Facebook or Twitter of all at the same time, helping overcome the barrier of excessive information on social network walls, and makes it almost impossible for people not to be achieved.

In São Paulo, on February 6 (Tuesday) a Safer Internet Day event will take place in the Auditório Edifício Bolsa de Imóveis, discussions will have a presence of experts from the legal and governmental sectors, academic, business and third sector. Among the topics on the agenda are the role of counter-narratives against hate speech on the Internet; user engagement and the role of the private sector in promoting online diversity; public policies to promote the culture of respect in the network; the new challenges in the media and the protection of children and teenagers (among them, the Internet of toys and platforms for children); and the current and future challenges for the Internet in Brazil. Registrations can be made here.

Finally, in order to build a more positive internet it is important to discuss the constant need to protect human rights on the Internet so that we can create mechanisms to combat the spread of hate speech, cyberbullying, sexting and various other recurring problems which are derived from the misuse of the internet. Participate in the campaign and encourage discussion on your social networks, websites and blogs and use the hashtag # SID2018. Building a more free, democratic and diverse internet depends on each one of us! # SID2018

Previous editions:

• 2017 – Theme: Be the change: Unite for a better internet – 70,000 participants, 127 activities.
• 2016 – Theme: Play your part for a better internet – 253,700 participants, 71 activities.
• 2015 – Theme: Let’s create a better internet together – 73,430 participants, 105 activities.
• 2014 – Theme: Let’s create a better internet together- 21,842 participants, 152 activities.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Institute for Research on Internet and Society.