STOP | THINK | CONNECT: The first Global Online Safety Campaign Launches As Part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month

[Rodney Petersen <rpetersen () EDUCAUSE EDU>]

The following announcement is being shared with the higher education
community at the request of Michael Kaiser, Executive Director of the
National Cyber Security Alliance.

 

Rodney Petersen

Higher Education Information Security Council

 


STOP | THINK | CONNECT: The first Global Online Safety Campaign Launches
Today


Today, at the launch of national Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an
unprecedented coalition of government, industry and non-profit
organizations launched the first-ever public awareness campaign for
online safety: "STOP | THINK | CONNECT
<http://staysafeonline.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=69> ."With
broad adoption by Government, led by Department of Homeland Security and
industry, the new message will  quickly reach millions across the globe
through a variety of online and offline marketing, advertising and
editorial campaigns.

We unveiled "STOP | THINK | CONNECT" in Seattle at the kick-off of
National Cyber Security Awareness Month with the Special Assistant to
the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator White House, Howard Schmidt,
and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Jane Holl
Lute as well as other industry and nonprofit leaders. The launch today
represented the public private partnership that worked hand-in-hand to
bring the effort to fruition.

With the unified message, the goal is to help all digital citizens
employ universal behaviors to protect themselves, no matter what they
are doing online or how they are connecting to the Internet. We hope
this will lead to a culture of cyber awareness in which online safety
steps become second nature in our daily lives.

"STOP | THINK | CONNECT is about taking a moment to stop and think about
the places we visit online, the information that we share, and the
communities in which we participate before and while we are connected to
the Internet. It's a message that applies to everyone personally and
speaks to individual control, but at the same time it extends a bridge
from the individual to the global online community.

The coalition arrived at the unified message after a yearlong process of
research, focus groups, opinion polling, and government-industry
collaboration. The research, conducted by Heart + Mind Strategies,
revealed that consumers are concerned about their own personal online
security and safety - and are ready to learn. They crave personal
control and positive reinforcement that online safety is something they
can personally manage, and they seek information that's actionable and
easy to understand

While they feel taking action to be more safe and secure online is
important for themselves and their family, they also feel it's important
as a global citizen: that their individual actions make the online
community safer for everyone else around the world.

President Obama called for a public awareness campaign in his Cyberspace
Policy Review in May 2009, recognizing the need for a simple, actionable
message that could help change public behavior in the same way the
"Smokey Bear" campaign educated Americans on forest fire prevention and
"Click It or Ticket" on seatbelt safety.

We are of course thrilled that the President has recognized "Stop.
Think. Connect." in his proclamation
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/10/01/presidential-proc
lamation-national-cybersecurity-awareness-month>  officially declaring
October "National Cyber Security Awareness Month."

With the message, the coalition aims to make a big cultural change. We
all know that online safety is an important global message. Yet, online
safety had not been elevated within the cultural conscience as a major
public safety issue in the same way as the environment, public health,
and safe driving.  "Stop. Think. Connect." and the resulting awareness
campaign want to change that.

Help us spread the word.  Join the conversation on our Facebook
<http://www.facebook.com/home.php#%21/staysafeonline?ref=ts>  page and
tweet about "Stop. Think. Connect." using these hashtags: #STConnect and
#NCSAM.

SSO ( Stay Safe Online)

Michael Kaiser, Executive Director, National Cyber Security Alliance
(www.staysafeonline.org)