Collective Intelligence Assignment #2: Cyberspace and Cybersecurity

With the tremendous growth of the internet and the proliferation of devices used for every aspect of our personal and business lives, we must conclude that cyberspace and along with it, cybersecurity, are here to stay. Cybersecurity has become a huge and very complicated issue.

The 1998 video “Caught in the Web: Staying Safe in Cybersafe”  (The Found Footage Festival, 1998) looks back on what seems to be a simpler time while educating parents, kids and teens about the dangers of online predators. Cyberspace safety issues regarding chat rooms, games, shopping, viruses, pornography, criminals and child predators have already been identified.

The 2014 CNBC News Report Video “Mistakes Businesses are still making in Cyberspace” (CNBC, 2014) indicates that businesses are complacent about cybersecurity and cyberspace safety of their intellectual property and customer data. Very large companies such has Target and Barclays have been hacked. This cybersecurity issue is not new; businesses simply have not allocated resources to move cybersecurity issues to priority levels.

The Government of Canada Get Cyber Safe (Government of Canada, 2014) website showcases thought leadership; it has an excellent framework of current resources to educate parents, teens, and small/medium businesses. We all know that the rapidly growing internet and cyberspace make the world smaller and very connected. Everyone is involved: everyone needs to be part of the solution: government, businesses and individuals. The biggest issue parents and teens now face is cyberbullying: hating online has caused teenage suicides. In addition this website links out to cyber-security risk pages for Mobile, Banking and Finance, Social Networking, Email, Online Gaming and Entertainment, VoIP, Downloading and File Sharing and Shopping Online. There is a Get Cyber Safe Blog and more current resources for downloading. This website showcases how the internet and cyberspace touches every aspect of our personal and business lives.

The message is clear; the world has changed. Parents, Teens, and businesses need to take ownership and work cooperatively with government agencies getting the message out and learning how to live safely in our very complex and rapidly evolving global, cyberspace world.

CNBC. (2014, February 18). Mistakes businesses are still making in cyberspace. (J. Schlesinger, Producer) Retrieved March 16, 2014, from CNBC : http://www.cnbc.com/id/101419109

Government of Canada. (2014). Get Cyber Safe. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from Get Cyber Safe: http://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/index-eng.aspx

The Found Footage Festival. (1998). Caught In The Web: Staying Safe In Cyberspace. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from The Found Footage Festival: http://www.foundfootagefest.com/2014/01/caught-in-the-web-staying-safe-in-cybersafe/