Stop. Think. Connect. - New Web safety campaign kicks off
by Steve Ragan - Oct 5 2010, 16:45
Stop. Think. Connect.
In 2009, President Obama called for the creation of a public awareness program that would focus on cybersecurity. The program created, called Stop. Think. Connect., is supposed to work like the Click It or Ticket campaign, creating an instant brand for Web safety.
Stop. Think. Connect. is a program that aims to develop a habit. Everyone involved has taken on the task of getting anyone using the Web to recall the lessons of childhood, such as look both ways before crossing a busy street, and apply something similar when using the Internet.
According to SafetyandSecurityMessaging.org, the Stop. Think. Connect. program is about taking a moment to stop and think about the places we visit online, the information that we share, and the communities in which we participate before and while we are connected to the Internet.
“It’s a message that applies to everyone personally and speaks to individual control, but at the same time it extends a bridge from the individual to the global online community,” the site explains.
Involved in the project are some notable organizations, including AT&T, AVG, Costco, ESET, Facebook, Google, Intel, McAfee, PayPal, RSA, Symantec, Trend Micro, Microsoft, Verizon, VeriSign, and Visa. This is in addition to the support that comes from the Departments of Commerce, Homeland Security, and Justice, as well as the FBI, the FTC, and the IRS.
By reaching out to customers, business partners, and the public as a whole, each organization involved plans to develop print, social media, online, advertising, and broadcasting campaigns to push the message.
Will it work is the question. There is research from Heart + Mind Strategies, which says consumers are concerned about their own personal online security and safety, concluding that they are ready to learn.
The study also said that nearly two-thirds of the American public have heard, read, or seen something about online safety and security issues recently. However, most of what they remember is negative: identity theft, privacy loss, and increased frequency of attacks.
In a way, Stop. Think. Connect. intends to shift that negative recollection and use it to make people think, but will it only reinforce the challenges of remaining safe online and skip the awareness part?
If so, then this new program will face the same issues previous awareness campaigns have had to tackle, ultimately causing them to fail. We could be wrong however.
“Even with the highest enthusiasm and the best intentions, such initiatives usually start, stop, restart (maybe), falter and fall through for various reasons – chief among them lack of leadership and insufficient funding. But, Stop. Think. Connect., is - and will be - different,” said Microsoft’s Jacqueline Beauchere, the Director of Trustworthy Computing Communications - Privacy & Online Safety.
“With Stop.Think.Connect. I believe we’ll see member companies and new partners work to get the word out, and encourage individuals, families and organizations to ensure they are following certain steps to help get the most from their online experiences.”
As it stands, only Facebook, staysafeonline.org, and safetyandsecuritymessaging.org are actively promoting the new campaign. We hope the others follow-up soon by kicking off their part of the program.
In the meantime, the links below point to the various security resources offered by the Stop. Think. Connect. members.
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/
http://www.facebook.com/security
http://safetyandsecuritymessaging.org/
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