Securetrading supports Get Safe Online initiative
Howard Lake | 26 October 2005 | News
Payment service provider securetrading is sponsoring a new initiative launched today to help raise public awareness of the issues and provide solutions for online safety. It is aimed both at home users and small businesses.
The campaign is a joint initiative between HM Government, the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit, part of the National Crime Squad and private sector sponsors from the worlds of technology, retail and finance.
“As the UK’s largest independent payment service provider we have an unrivalled understanding of the online commercial issues facing UK companies. As such being a sponsor to the Get Safe Online campaign is a natural fit for us,” said David Abbott, CEO, securetrading.
Advertisement
A range of charities use securetrading to handle their online donations and payments.
New research from Get Safe Online has found that over three quarters of the UK’s population (83%) don’t know enough about protecting themselves online. In fact 42% of the population just rely on friends and family for online safety advice rather than finding expert information for themselves.
The survey also found that only 15% of people believe that it’s their own responsibility to protect themselves from online crime, with 49% believing it should be the responsibility of big business and 11% thinking it should be the Government’s responsibility.
Alarmingly 22% of respondents still open suspicious files from unknown source, thereby putting themselves at risk of unwittingly spreading viruses to others. Even worse, only a third of respondents (32%) updated their anti-virus software at least every three months.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.