Safer Internet Day: Frauds happen most often in places that don't seem dangerous at first sight

HAKOM presented its redesigned brochure for children containing practical and useful tips on the dangers and safety on the Internet

Zagreb, 7 February 2023  marks the 20^th edition of Safer Internet Day, and it is a good opportunity to speak again about safe and responsible use of the Internet and mobile devices with a special emphasis on the protection of children and young people. In order to raise awareness of the dangers that occur frequently, and most of all threatening the youngest generations, it is necessary to constantly warn children about the responsible and stay safe online. The Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM) whose responsibility is the protection of users of electronic communications, and thus the protection of children and young people as the most sensitive group of users , this year has been included in the programme of marking in Zagreb Rapska, Elementary School. On this occasion, in a relaxed and entertaining atmosphere, a new, redesigned brochure was presented, which will find the way to Croatian primary school students, fifth grade students. The brochure titled “How to Protect Yourself in the World of Internet and Mobile Devices” contains practical and useful advice on the dangers and safety on the Internet, protection of privacy and personal data, behaviour and responsible use of social networks, and is part of HAKOM’s programme of informing children and parents that has been implemented since 2016 in cooperation with the Ministry of Science and Education. In addition to the brochure, HAKOM presented the quiz to children and young people, as well as their parents and teachers, which was created in cooperation with FER, and is part of the updated Privacy Calculator application, the main purpose of which is to inform the end-users of the Internet access service about possible risks that may cause personal data to be provided on the Internet.

Marking in Rapska Elementary School with Luka Bulić

At the occasional conference, interesting presentations were held, so the presentation on the topic “Me in the world of electronic communications” was held by Tanja Zaninović from HAKOM, and about how their company works and contributes to the protection of the youngest users, representatives of two operators of electronic communications HT and Telemach spoke about parental protection, programs for children and gaming competitions. The organisation of this event was also welcomed by Helenca Pirnat Dragičević, Ombudswoman for Children. Representatives of the national CERT operating at CARNET have brought children closer to their role, but also pointed to the most common online frauds, as well as the importance of digital traces they leave behind. The importance of responsible behaviour is particularly emphasised, including the use of secure passwords for different user profiles. The students especially enjoyed socialising with Luka Bulić, entertainer and imitator, who is famous for composing and singing the hilarious Bullhits, who on this occasion presented his song composed for children, which speaks precisely about the protection of children on the Internet and the dangers that are lurking on the network of all networks. On this occasion, Combis gave the host school three picture books from the collection, “Failings in the Digital World”.
 
Panel discussion on the topic “What is the price of one like” in Središće Eementary School

On the occasion of the celebration of Safer Internet Day in Središće Elementary School  in Zagreb, organised by the Safer Internet Centre, a panel discussion was held on the topic “What is the price of one like”  The panel was attended by Helenca Pirnat Dragičević, Ombudswoman for Children, Miran Gosta, Director at HAKOM, Ivan Pakšić, Head of the Department for Public Order and Security of the Ministry of the Interior, Tjaša Juraković Antolić, expert associate pedagogue at Središće Elementery School, and Domagoj Jakopović Ribafish, journalist and professor of of Geography, who is this year’s Ambassador of Safer Internet Day, moderated by Ana Veočić from the Safer Internet Center.

The director of HAKOM pointed out that fraud most often occurs in places that do not seem dangerous at first glance. However, online security is threatened just as well as in the real world, and the dangers that lie ahead in real life are possible on the Internet, where threats, extortions, insults and hate speech occur frequently. HAKOM’s brochure is intended not only for children, but also for their parents, who in this way are further educated about what their children are doing online and how they can protect them. A great educational application is certainly the Privacy Calculator, where it is easy to check which abuses we are exposed to by disclosing our personal data.

Computer incidents in the Republic of Croatia are recorded by the national CERT, and there are about 1,200 such incidents per year. These are various attempts of fraud, which are becoming increasingly sophisticated and difficult to recognise, which is why it is always necessary to approach everything that is unknown to us with extra caution.

We live in the digital age, and digital competence and media literacy are something that is already the most important competence of this century. Media literacy must be the standard in the educational system for all children in the Republic of Croatia, for it to be a content part of the curriculum, but also to be interesting to children. — said Ombudswoman Helenca Pirnat Dragičević, who stressed that 79 % of children under the age of two use digital technology, although the recommendation of world experts is not to do so. Children have also been shown to be over-using digital technology, she stressed and called for greater responsibility regarding the risks of sharing content by adults. 

HAKOM’s brochure “How to protect yourself in the world of Internet and mobile devices” is also available in digital form and can be downloaded via the following link.