A campaign implemented by the UK government in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Security of the Presidency of the Republic (GSI) aims to raise awareness among the Brazilian public, especially the younger generation, of the importance of cybernetic and information security. .
The idea of the digital citizenship campaign is educational and its priority target audience is youth between the ages of 12 and 17 and parents and teachers.
The initiative is co-ordinated by the British Embassy in Brazil and is part of the Digital Access Program – DAP, funded by the UK Foreign Office and also in South Africa, Indonesia, Kenya and Nigeria. It aims to bring more inclusive, accessible, safe and secure digital access to underserved and digitally excluded communities in the five partner countries.
GSI clarifies that it has no involvement in funding sources and any contracts related to the project and that the operation is fully managed by the UK Government with the support of a private company.
The project is based on the results provided by the assessment of the maturity of Brazilians’ cyber skills (CMM – Cybersecurity Skills Maturity Model for Countries, in English). According to this assessment carried out by the University of Oxford in England, one of the biggest maturity gaps in Brazil is the education and awareness of people regarding cyber security.
The campaign’s proposal is in line with the objectives of the National Policy on Security of Information (PNSI), which, among other points, seeks to contribute to the security of the individual, society and the state by guiding information security measures.
The Digital Citizenship Campaign is aligned with the National Cyber Security Strategy (E-Ciber) to raise society’s level of maturity in cybersecurity and increase understanding of threats and risks in cyberspace.
The content of the campaign pieces was based on a technical note developed by the Information Security Division of the Office of Enterprise Security of the President. Community awareness activities are addressed in 12 levels of knowledge, in order of priority, from simplest to most complex. Topics include: Foundations for Digital Security; safe use of apps and other digital tools; protecting a personal digital device; netiquette (internet rules of conduct); Digital Law; network security; user protection; And online games.
According to GSI, the target audience, teenagers, are already proficient in the content and functionality of digital platforms and devices, but they are exposed to constant cyber threats and need to know how to avoid them to make their virtual experience safe and positive. “The Internet offers a great opportunity to gain access to all kinds of information or to create your own content, but it also includes many dangers that young people are especially exposed to. We see an urgent need to raise awareness among parents, educators and young people about the risks and consequences of misuse of new technologies and to encourage their responsible use. “The best way to fight cybercrime is to educate the user,” GSI said in a note.
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