February 11 is Safer Internet Day. Find out how your small business can get involved on the Safer Internet Day website.

As a Safer Internet Day Champion, we’ve pulled together some quick advice on how small businesses can follow the tips being shared by the #SID2020 community.

Be an upstander. If you see abuse online, report and delete it .

Staying silent about online abuse allows this type of bullying too flourish.  

Be a superhero and immediately report abuse to the platform it was published on. This helps to reduce the harm it can cause, and ensures you have a more positive experience online. 

Here are some links for reporting abuse to common small business platforms: 

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/help/688521894518136?helpref=uf_permalink

• Facebook Messenger: https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/1165699260192280/?helpref=hc_fnav&bc[0]=691363354276356

• Instagram: https://help.instagram.com/165828726894770

• Twitter: https://help.twitter.com/en/safety-and-security/report-a-tweet

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/37822

• Google: https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues/esafety-guide/google

Try to take screen shots before you delete any abusive content in case you need to show evidence down the track.

If the platform hasn’t responded within two days, consider reporting the abuse to the eSafety Commissioner here: https://www.esafety.gov.au/report.

Protect your personal information online by using a different password for each account and turning on privacy settings on devices, apps, and social accounts. 

Protect your passwords

Avoid Mark Zuckerberg’s embarrassing mistake of using the same password for multiple social media accounts. 😳 A simple password like ‘dadada’ can be easily hacked and plastered across the internet.

For a quick refresher on creating strong passwords from our Small Business Cyber Fitness Platform:

• The longer the better. Aim for at least 8 or more characters.

• Keep it unique. Avoid Mark’s mistake and use different passwords everywhere you have an account.

• Make it hard to guess. It shouldn’t be possible to guess your password, even if you have a version of it from another site.

Instead of trying to remember all these long, unique and unguessable passwords, consider using a Password Manager to generate and store them for you.

Here are some popular password managers we can recommend:

• 1password: https://1password.com/

• Lastpass: https://www.lastpass.com/

• Dashlane: https://www.dashlane.com/

• Roboform: https://www.roboform.com/

Cynch annual members can access 1Password Business for FREE!

Review your privacy settings

Stay Smart Online have shared a cautionary tale of how sharing too much information online could lead to a pretty bad day.

You can use the following links to quickly check your privacy settings on common small business platforms:

• Google: https://safety.google/privacy/privacy-controls/

• Messenger: https://www.messenger.com/privacy

• Instagram: https://help.instagram.com/116024195217477

• Twitter: https://help.twitter.com/en/safety-and-security#ads-and-data-privacy

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/37822

Smart Phones can also hold a huge amount of information about you and your daily life. Make sure you’re only sharing what you’re comfortable with by checking your phone’s privacy settings. Cnet have some great guides on how to do this:

• iPhone: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/double-check-your-iphones-privacy-settings-in-two-easy-steps/

• Android: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/android-10-everything-you-need-to-know-about-its-new-privacy-settings/

Tame the Tech. Explore how to set access and parental controls on home wifi networks, gaming consoles, mobile devices and smart TVs.

Any network you do business from could cause your business harm if the right measures aren’t put in place.

If you have kids at home there are lots of great tips for setting parental controls on the eSafety Commissioner’s site: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/skills-advice/taming-technology

Our Cyber Fitness Platform has lots of tips on how to secure your small business or home office networks and devices as well.

Be conscious of your online profile. Don’t post anything that may put you in danger, affect your reputation or be used against you.

Before posting or sharing anything online, stop and think to yourself:

“How would I feel if this was displayed on a huge billboard outside my office?”

You can read more about protecting your personal digital reputation here: https://www.esafety.gov.au/young-people/your-digital-reputation

Stay on the lookout for scams and phishing contacts – don’t click links, give out personal information or send money in response to an unexpected request

Had a request from a Nigerian Prince needing help accessing his fortune? Perhaps you won the Spanish lottery? Have the Tax Office have sent you a threatening letter?

Online scams are constantly evolving and getting increasingly sophisticated. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has a great site where they list the most common types of scams, how to spot them and even what to do if you fall for one.

At Cynch we’re always on the look out for scams targeting small businesses. Sign-up for a free membership and we’ll notify you if we spot anything you might need to be aware of.

Help others to be safe online especially family and friends who aren’t tech-savvy .

If you’re the ‘tech-spert’ at work, chances are you are at home as well. A great way to introduce non-techies to staying safe online is the eSafety Commissioner’s website.  This site is especially useful for specific information for vulnerable groups such as children or the elderly. 

Stay Smart Online is another great government website you can refer to.