DotEveryone Launches #BetterInternetter Campaign To Increase Digital Literacy
Unruly is proud to announce our support for DotEveryone’s new #BetterInternetter campaign, launched this week, which provides positive and practical steps to address digital blind spots identified in the organisation’s People, Power and Technology research.
The research revealed low levels of public understanding of the ways technologies operate, and knowledge gaps around the kinds of data people think is collected by marketers – for instance, only 38% of people are aware data about their internet connection (IP) is collected and stored.
#BetterInternetter is a multi-phase campaign designed to tackle these issues and kicks off with three videos showing; how people can go incognito to try to avoid price discrimination, check their privacy settings so they know who they share their information with, and change their social media feeds to see a broader range of information.
You can check out Doteveryone’s top tips for being a ‘better internetter’ below, and find out more about the whole campaign by visiting their content hub here!
DotEveryone’s 20 Top Tips:
1. Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) where you can for your online accounts.
2. Use a password manager (a digital vault for your passwords) to keep your online accounts secure and make it easier to use hard to guess passwords and have a different password for every account.
3. Install a tracking blocker if you don’t want to be tracked.
4. Switch to using a privacy-preserving browser like @brave or search engine like @DuckDuckGo to reduce gathering of your personal information online.
5. Use a virtual private network (VPN) to help keep your personal information safe and prevent some types of price discrimination.
6. Turn on chronological timelines in social media where possible.
7. Turn off notifications on your social media platforms about news you don’t need to see urgently.
8. Set your phone to grayscale to remove the positive reinforcements we get from colourful icons.
9. Regularly update your devices and apps and remove or turn off apps you don’t use.
10. Try keeping the home screen of your phone to tools only (the apps you use for quick in-and-out tasks like Maps, Camera, Calendar, Notes). Move the rest, especially mindless choices, off the first page and into folders.
11. Regularly clear your cache so private information isn’t stored and used to help target personalised advertising and pricing and so it’s not accessible by future users/vulnerable to hacking.
12. Check prices on a different device or browser before making a big purchase online.
13. Charge your device outside the bedroom. Get a separate alarm clock in your bedroom, and charge your phone in another room (or on the other side of the room).
14. Use tools like Terms of Service, Didn’t Read (@ToSDR). They help explain T&C’s. Try to avoid ones you find unacceptable.
15. Only install applications from authorised app stores.
16. Don’t look at private information on public wifi. Public wifi networks are less secure and more susceptible to hacking than private networks.
17. Set up an alternate social media account, follow people from the ‘opposite’ side of the debate or try out other sources of news and information to avoid filter bubbles.
18. Use fact checkers like FullFact and Snopes to build up your ability to identify online misinformation.
19. If you do not like receiving targeted advertising or having your personal information collected, consider paying for services that support other business models.
20. Use your rights under GDPR and complain where your rights are breached.
