5 Effectiveness of public awareness
campaigns
Promoting public awareness
113. Witnesses from the police emphasised the importance
of prevention through increasing peoples' awareness of the threats
and what they can do to protect themselves.
"The goal in cyber has to be around prevention
activity and developing prevention activity."[95]
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt, ACPO
e-crime lead, told us that we had to get to a point where "as
citizens, organisations and businesses, are not, effectively,
leaving the windows and the doors open when we leave the office
or when we leave the house".[96]
114. Whilst we have heard evidence that a great deal
of the responsibility of holding data securely lies with the organisations
who hold that information and who develop the software used,
it is a fact that criminals often use social engineering methods
to target victims. Users are not without responsibility for their
own data and can take steps to protect their personal information
online. Recent work by Nominet showed that 43% of smartphone and
tablet users did not have security measures such as anti-virus
software, remote wipe facilities in the case their device is lost
or stolen, or the latest version of their operating system installed
on their device. The Police e-Crime unit told us that improving
awareness about the amount of data that people put in the public
domain and what criminals can use it for was key to preventing
crime.
There is a real opportunity, as you have just
heard, about public awareness with that. There is freedom of speech,
and people put all sorts of information on the internet without
realising how vulnerable that makes them. Our information is out
there on 500 to 600 different databases at any one time, and the
criminal groups run automated programmes harnessing all that data
around us, day in, day out, and then they will utilise it to their
advantage[97]
ASSESSING THE SUCCESS OF PREVENTION
ACTIVITY IN THE UK
115. Some of our witnesses have told us about successful
public awareness campaigns that have been carried out such as
The National Fraud Authority's 'The Devil's in your Details' Facebook
campaign. However they also highlighted the difficulties in reaching
internet users with information about both staying secure online
and also about how to recognise and report fraud if they have
been a victim. Adrian Leppard, Commissioner of the City of London
Police, told us of the work in prevention going on under the
Cyber Security Strategy. However he acknowledged that educating
the public was a challenge, noting "We do have to push that
out in better campaigning and much more public messaging about
it".[98]
116. In the Commissioner's view, prevention work
would be more effective if it:
- Involved stronger partnership
with the private sector;
- Used platforms such as television that reached
a wide audience;
- Had specific campaigns targeted at different
segments of society, particularly vulnerable ones;
- Had more funding from the Government.
The lack of funding for prevention activity was raised
as an issue by other witnesses who were concerned that the only
prevention work which had specifically been allocated funding
by the National Cyber Security Programme-Get Safe Online received
£395,000, only 0.06% of the total budget.
117. Other witnesses have argued that prevention
has limited utility. Professor Ross Anderson has told us that
it put too greater onus on consumers:
I am not quite as enthusiastic about public education
as some other people, because of the simple fact that computers
and mobile phones and social networking sites tend to ship with
unsafe defaults because it is better for selling advertising.[99]
118. He also argued that since a lot of economic
damage is done by a small number of cyber criminals it would be
more efficient to arrest and prosecute them.
119. We recommend that guidance about keeping
personal data secure should be incorporated into all online services
that request personal data from their users.
120. It is as important that children learn about
staying safe online as it is that they learn about crossing the
road safely. We welcome teaching about online safety and security
taking place in schools and initiatives such as 'safer internet
week'.
121. The children we spoke to believed an important
part of learning to stay safe online was being taught to respect
others online and not to say things that you wouldn't say to their
face and we agree.
95 Q 378 Back
96
Q 378 Back
97
Q 101 Back
98
Q 74 Back
99
Q 130 Back
| 
