How to Stay Safe Online
Internet Safety & Security
Manage Privacy Settings on Mobile Devices
Regardless of your phone provider, you have the ability to manage your Privacy Settings. You can control which apps have access to your location,camera, and microphone. You can also select whether you consent to things like research sensor and usage data collection or not..
Online Settings and Browsing
Regardless which internet browser you use,ensure you go to personalize your Privacy Settings so that you are as secure aspossible. For example, you can selectoptions like “Do Not Track.” Ensure to useprivate or incognito windows for public WiFi,and frequently clear your history and cache.
Turn Off Invasive Location Services
While location services can be super handy attimes like using maps, taking a photo in a coollocation you want to remember, sending yourlocation to a friend or family, or even findingyour phone, we must be mindful of thelocation services that are invasive andunnecessary to us. Many apps use yourlocation services for data collection. Ensureyou check what location services you haveturned on with all your devices.
Turn off Ad Personalization
Turn these off by going to your Google Account. On the left click Data & Personalization. On the Ad personalization panel, click “Go to ad settings.” Then, turn off “Ad Personalization” if it is on, and you would like it to stop collecting data. Other search engines like Bing have a similar process.
Privacy Protection: 10 Quick Tips
- Use strong passwords, and don’t use the same password or PIN number for multiple accounts.
- Use two-factor authentication or password-reset checks for all your accounts.
- Avoid using public devices or public/shared WiFi.
- Make your accounts private.
- Disable access to geolocation data for your social media apps.
- Be wary about clicking links in social media.
- Even on your private social profiles, keep personal information to a minimum.
- Use “private browsers” or “incognito windows ”when using the internet.
- Never share your information over emails or phone calls unless you are 100% positive.
- Report all inappropriate and suspicious behaviour.
Each of our social media accounts offer us a tremendous opportunity to connect with others and explore our own creative expression. We can share what we love and learn from others. However, we must become aware of our safety risks so we can enjoy our social media to the fullest.
A general thing to consider is making your information private to others. Most platforms allow you to make your account private to the public. There are additional settings for each social network which allow you to take this privacy even further – so that people cannot search for you unless you are friends with them on the network. See corresponding article for more details.
Another concern to be aware of is how the app, social network or social media platform records and uses your information. Familiarize yourself with the privacy policies, and ensure you turn off your location services where you see fit.
One of the easiest ways for us to stay safe is to be mindful of what we post on our social media. While it is exciting to share things with others, we must consider that our followers (or in some cases, the public) can save your images and comments, and even track your location by the photos or comments you post.
To find out much more detailed information about your safety using social media, please see our corresponding article with hyperlinks included for your convenience.
See corresponding article for more details per game and more
Fortnite
Concerns with multiplayer chat andviolence.
Benefits: Improves social skills, reflexes, processing speed, visuospatial processing, function and attention.
Fortnite does not allow you to speak to all 100 participants in the game, you can only communicate with those in your party. This party can be with friends or strangers. Families have the ability to place controls on this setting as well as the chat function to make the game more safe.
Minecraft
Concerns with remote multiplayer and child safeguarding problems via online chat.
Benefits: Increases creativity, teamwork, and problem solving.
Minecraft’s messaging service provided by Microsoft can be managed and disabled for both PlayStation and Xbox. Xbox Live’s parental settings can disable messaging and/or manage who sends invites.
Minecraft can be played as a family and even teaches resource management, geometry skills, and community engagement.
Among Us
Concerns with age limit and online chat function.
Benefits: Ability to seamlessly play with people across different devices, uses teamwork skills, develops logic and social skills.
Balkan worked with Polygon Studio to design a classically structured bridge that would easily fit in with the visual aesthetic of the city. The underside of the bridge was repurposed as a walkway.
Call of Duty
Concerns with remote multiplayer, vulgar language exposure, violence and online chat communication with strangers.
Benefits: Improves memory. reflexes, processing speed, visuospatial processing, executive function and attention.
Call of Duty is rated 16+ for the obvious reason of violence within the game, but what most people don’t think about is the online chat with strangers that proposes a risk. The chat is optional and not mandatory. You can also report a player or any inappropriate behaviour.
Call of Duty (Activision) also provides an online safety guide to make your account and gaming experience as secure as possible.