Oslo, Norway and Lucknow, India – December 6, 2012
Opera Software has been working to increase understanding about the importance of healthy internet-browsing habits among young adults. In India, the leading web-browser company has joined hands with the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), to spread student awareness on how to “Surf Safe”, through a series of seminars.
The program educates young people on techniques that will help them have a safe and productive web-surfing experience. Although focused on India, these basic tips are relevant to websurfers both young and old across the globe.
The focus for “Surf Safe” is netiquette (the unofficial rules guiding conduct on the internet) and the importance of staying security conscious online. It covers everything from the very basics of thinking twice before posting anything on social networks, to being careful with personal and confidential data shared through email and other modes of communication.
The following are examples of how young people can surf in both a polite and secure manner:
- Be respectful – treat online communication the same way as you would treat face-to-face conversations.
- What is illegal offline is illegal online.
- Don”t spam others; avoid forwarding junk email.
- No one is anonymous on the internet. Everything you post can be traced back to you.
- Don”t click on anonymous messages and attachments you get in your email.
- Configure privacy settings on social networks (don’t rely on the default settings); your personal information is most vulnerable here.
- Learn more about your browser and its safety features.
- Keep your passwords safe and to yourself; never share them with anyone.
- Your password should be at least eight characters long and made up of letters, numbers and special characters.
- Always go through the settings and options carefully before downloading any application on PCs and mobiles.
“Opera Software wants all of its users to have the best possible experience online,” says Sunil Kamath, Vice President for South Asia, Opera Software. “As part of our commitment to enabling a safer online experience, we strongly feel that education is the key to internet safety. These days, everyone has to be more vigilant than ever when it comes to safety, malware, phishing, credit-card fraud, identity theft and other cyber threats.”
“The objective of this campaign is to apprise college-going youths on how to use the internet safely and productively, and keep away from those prowling the internet with negative intentions. The internet is a fantastic medium to communicate and gain knowledge, but we should maintain sensible habits while we are using it,” says Rakshit Tandon, Consultant, IAMAI.
Learn more about Opera’s “Surf Safe” Campaign at http://www.opera.com/surfsafe/.
About IAMAI
The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is a young and vibrant association with ambitions of representing the entire gamut of digital businesses in India. It was established in 2004 by the leading online publishers, but in the last eight years has come to effectively address the challenges facing the digital and online industry including mobile content and services, online publishing, mobile advertising, online advertising, ecommerce and mobile & digital payments among others. For more information, please go to www.iamai.in.