The Internet & You
In today's society, Internet usage has become vital for employment, communication, and more. You may be a Fumblr user but in all likelihood, you have interacted with human-dominated telecommunications spheres, whether for work or for entertainment. Posting on the Internet may seem like harmless fun but there can be unforeseen costs if the wrong information falls into the wrong hands. In 1990, only 5% of information leakage incidents on Earth originated from online spheres, but with the rapid expansion of home computer usage and evolution in telecom infrastructure, that number only increases more and more each year.
We all want to do our part to stay safe and practice good information security. Follow these SAFETY guidelines.
Send a message to a regulator if you see something or someone that looks suspicious online. Understandably, people may not wish to report someone they know if they've posted something that may be against regulations but remember: the safety of everyone starts with you.
Ask a trusted person in the know to review a message before posting if you're afraid it may reveal too much personal information. Two sets of eyes are better than one!
Follow only people you know and decline requests from unknown people. They may be what's known as an 'bot account' and they could send you malware! As well, criminals may mine your social media for any information that may be used to answer common security questions and then access important accounts.
Ensure your passwords are strong and make sure that the passwords used for your email, your accounts, and any extraterrestrial-oriented accounts differ. A strong password is at least 12 characters long, contains a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters and symbols, and isn't a commonly used dictionary word. If the password for just one account is the same as the email it's tied to, then a hacker has access to all your accounts for that email if two-factor authentication isn't enabled. This threatens your personal safety as well as the safety of the 'masquerade' if you've discussed alien-related matters over the Internet.
Tell someone to take the discussion to an alien-only platform if you're talking in private messages to another person in the know on a human-based social media website and the conversation turns towards regulated matters. Private messages aren't truly private as many social media breaches (not to mention the sell of user data to private companies) have shown us.
You are a key part of ensuring the safety of not only yourself but also all humans and aliens on Earth. Have fun but keep an eye out for the dangers all around you.
Remember: contact a regulator at once if you see a potential breach of privacy regulations on Earth. We're watching out for you.
