“Safer Internet Day is a chance to reflect on attacks witnessed over the last 12 months, and consider what may be headed our way through the coming year. This year’s event looks closely at ways in which children can explore safely online, and how we can assist them in their digital journey.
“With more teens and young adults online than ever before, it’s crucial that we explain the risks posed by ransomware, bullying in online spaces, and the possibility of digital manipulation and misinformation aided and abetted by increasingly slick deepfake and AI technology.
“With a number of major elections coming up in 2024, the possibility of being duped by lies and faked video footage is stronger than ever. Consider that many adults continue to fall for so-called “cheapfakes” (crudely edited photographs and memes on social media), and that in many cases scammers don’t even need to reach for AI tools in the first place to achieve their objectives.
“This year’s electoral campaigns will be a heady mixture of malign interference campaigns, confidence tricks, and the ever present threat of ransomware and malware groups waiting to potentially take sides with their own unique brand of electoral interference.
“If we don’t want to see a repeat of the social engineering and malware dispensing tactics used over the last few years targeting the next generation of netizens, it’s up to us to help and encourage educators and those with a direct involvement with children’s learning to offer workable solutions to keeping them from harm online for both Safer Internet Day and beyond.”
