Digital Smarts Blog

When iOS 11 comes to iPhones (and iPads) this fall, the new operating system will include a "Do Not Disturb While Driving" mode users can turn on. When the feature is activated, your iPhone can tell when you may be driving and will automatically mute your notifications so the screen remains dark. You can also set up your device to send your favorite contacts an automatic reply to tell them you are driving and will get back to them when you arrive. An excellent idea for all drivers, especially teens, so be sure to check it out this fall.

When iOS 11 comes to iPhones (and iPads) this fall, the new operating system will include a "Do Not Disturb While Driving" mode users can turn on. When the feature is activated, your iPhone can tell when you may be driving and will automatically mute your notifications so the screen remains dark. You can also set up your device to send your favorite contacts an automatic reply to tell them you are driving and will get back to them when you arrive. An excellent idea for all drivers, especially teens, so be sure to check it out this fall.

A study by researchers at Swansea University and Milan University find that symptoms of Internet withdrawal -- increased anxiety, blood pressure and heart rate -- are close to what drug addicts experience. Participants in the study, ages 18 to 33, were self-confessed Internet addicts who reported spending an average of five hours a day online.

A study by researchers at Swansea University and Milan University find that symptoms of Internet withdrawal -- increased anxiety, blood pressure and heart rate -- are close to what drug addicts experience. Participants in the study, ages 18 to 33, were self-confessed Internet addicts who reported spending an average of five hours a day online.

Teaching kids about the security vulnerabilities with Internet of Things (IoT) devices can help them avoid falling prey to hackers, writes Jacob Batchelor in an article entitled You've Been Hacked! Explaining Cybersecurity to Students in an Interconnected Era. Batchelor explains ways to introduce the problem of hacking to kids, help them recognize the problem of IoT hacks, and show them what they can do to protect their privacy. Experts predict that in just a few years, interconnected devices such as refrigerators, baby monitors, toys, Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home, will number in the billions.

Teaching kids about the security vulnerabilities with Internet of Things (IoT) devices can help them avoid falling prey to hackers, writes Jacob Batchelor in an article entitled You've Been Hacked! Explaining Cybersecurity to Students in an Interconnected Era. Batchelor explains ways to introduce the problem of hacking to kids, help them recognize the problem of IoT hacks, and show them what they can do to protect their privacy. Experts predict that in just a few years, interconnected devices such as refrigerators, baby monitors, toys, Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home, will number in the billions.

Keeping up with social media and the constant stream of new apps emerging can be overwhelming for parents. A recent article entitled Tips Toward a Safe and Positive Social Media Experience offers tips for digital safety. The article also includes a list of harmful apps, such as Calculator%, a secret app that looks like a calculator but is actually a vault for hiding photos and videos, and Blue Whale, a suicide challenge app that attempts to prod children into killing themselves. The app is a haven for child predators and it is common for children to be blackmailed and bullied into completing the game where a final task is suicide.

Keeping up with social media and the constant stream of new apps emerging can be overwhelming for parents. A recent article entitled Tips Toward a Safe and Positive Social Media Experience offers tips for digital safety. The article also includes a list of harmful apps, such as Calculator%, a secret app that looks like a calculator but is actually a vault for hiding photos and videos, and Blue Whale, a suicide challenge app that attempts to prod children into killing themselves. The app is a haven for child predators and it is common for children to be blackmailed and bullied into completing the game where a final task is suicide.

A recent survey administered by Carbon Black looks at consumers’ responses to ransomware, and you may find the results surprising. The study found that if hacked, 52% of consumers would shell out a ransom for their data, and 12% would pay $500 or more. It was also found that consumers are less trusting of retailers with their data than they are of banks and health care providers. Furthermore, the majority of consumers believe the responsibility is on the individual businesses to keep their data safe, ahead of cybersecurity companies/cybersecurity software vendors, software providers (Microsoft, Apple, Google, etc.), and government organizations (FBI, NSA, CIA, etc.).

A recent survey administered by Carbon Black looks at consumers’ responses to ransomware, and you may find the results surprising. The study found that if hacked, 52% of consumers would shell out a ransom for their data, and 12% would pay $500 or more. It was also found that consumers are less trusting of retailers with their data than they are of banks and health care providers. Furthermore, the majority of consumers believe the responsibility is on the individual businesses to keep their data safe, ahead of cybersecurity companies/cybersecurity software vendors, software providers (Microsoft, Apple, Google, etc.), and government organizations (FBI, NSA, CIA, etc.).

Let’s not fool ourselves, the Internet is a downright scary place, and because of its universal nature, the whole world – the good and bad parts – are at your door every single day. What can you do to protect the privacy of your children? A recent article on the Common Sense Media site entitled 7 Reasons Parents Should Care About Kids and Online Privacy outlines privacy invasion situations every parent needs to be prepared for and offers common sense tips on how to handle them.

Let’s not fool ourselves, the Internet is a downright scary place, and because of its universal nature, the whole world – the good and bad parts – are at your door every single day. What can you do to protect the privacy of your children? A recent article on the Common Sense Media site entitled 7 Reasons Parents Should Care About Kids and Online Privacy outlines privacy invasion situations every parent needs to be prepared for and offers common sense tips on how to handle them.

Teens are bombarded with a lot of advertising on apps such as Snapchat and Instagram. Recent surveys reveal that 47% of Internet users between the ages of 13 and 17 in the US think ads can be trusted to some extent, compared to 46% who think advertising can't be trusted, per a YouGov survey. 52% of male respondents thought ads were somewhat trustworthy, compared to just 42% of female participants. Separate data from Kantar Millward Brown found that teen Internet users worldwide were more likely than older respondents to be impatient with invasive digital ad formats like online display ads, video ads and autoplay ads on social channels. Teens were also significantly more likely to skip ads than older people.

Teens are bombarded with a lot of advertising on apps such as Snapchat and Instagram. Recent surveys reveal that 47% of Internet users between the ages of 13 and 17 in the US think ads can be trusted to some extent, compared to 46% who think advertising can't be trusted, per a YouGov survey. 52% of male respondents thought ads were somewhat trustworthy, compared to just 42% of female participants. Separate data from Kantar Millward Brown found that teen Internet users worldwide were more likely than older respondents to be impatient with invasive digital ad formats like online display ads, video ads and autoplay ads on social channels. Teens were also significantly more likely to skip ads than older people.

This generation going off to college next fall may be “digital natives,” but some of them certainly have a lot to learn yet about digital etiquette, safety, and privacy.  Harvard College canceled admission offers to at least ten prospective students of the Class of 2021 because of racist and sexually explicit memes they posted in a private Facebook chat, according to the a recent report. The individuals were informed in April that their admissions offers to the prestigious Ivy League institution were under review, then later rescinded, because they had posted memes mocking the Holocaust, sexual assault and child abuse, among other topics, in a private Facebook messaging group that was formed late last year, according to The Harvard Crimson. This incident certainly should be part of all parents’ discussion about how nothing you post is really private online and anything you post, no matter how exclusive the group, can come back to haunt you.

This generation going off to college next fall may be “digital natives,” but some of them certainly have a lot to learn yet about digital etiquette, safety, and privacy.  Harvard College canceled admission offers to at least ten prospective students of the Class of 2021 because of racist and sexually explicit memes they posted in a private Facebook chat, according to the a recent report. The individuals were informed in April that their admissions offers to the prestigious Ivy League institution were under review, then later rescinded, because they had posted memes mocking the Holocaust, sexual assault and child abuse, among other topics, in a private Facebook messaging group that was formed late last year, according to The Harvard Crimson. This incident certainly should be part of all parents’ discussion about how nothing you post is really private online and anything you post, no matter how exclusive the group, can come back to haunt you.

Is your pet’s name your “usual” password online? If so, you are not alone - but in using your pet’s name or some variation of it, you may make it easier for hackers to access to your online accounts. To bring awareness to this issue, behavioral biometrics company, BehavioSec, teamed up with animal charity Bideawee to highlight five adoptable pets with hacker-proof names that are easy to remember, because as the cartoon of a man introducing his son to the new family puppy on the BehavioSec site points out “You can name her whatever you like, but be sure it is something you can remember. You’ll be using it as a security question answer for the rest of your life.” 

Is your pet’s name your “usual” password online? If so, you are not alone - but in using your pet’s name or some variation of it, you may make it easier for hackers to access to your online accounts. To bring awareness to this issue, behavioral biometrics company, BehavioSec, teamed up with animal charity Bideawee to highlight five adoptable pets with hacker-proof names that are easy to remember, because as the cartoon of a man introducing his son to the new family puppy on the BehavioSec site points out “You can name her whatever you like, but be sure it is something you can remember. You’ll be using it as a security question answer for the rest of your life.” 

What was that ding? Was it your laptop, smartphone, tablet or other digital device letting you know that yet another text, email, news alert, or Facebook message has arrived? That’s great for you – if you don’t mind a huge negative impact on your performance and concentration throughout the day – but for everyone around you it can get very annoying very quickly. Try reading up about notification options on your iPhones and iPads or on your Android device. And while we are at it, here is some advice on how to ask other people to turn off those alerts.

What was that ding? Was it your laptop, smartphone, tablet or other digital device letting you know that yet another text, email, news alert, or Facebook message has arrived? That’s great for you – if you don’t mind a huge negative impact on your performance and concentration throughout the day – but for everyone around you it can get very annoying very quickly. Try reading up about notification options on your iPhones and iPads or on your Android device. And while we are at it, here is some advice on how to ask other people to turn off those alerts.