Loreto Convent hosted a Cyber Security talk earlier this week. The Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) and Dr Daniel Gideon Dresner both gave presentations to parents and staff. Superintendent McGrail introduced his team – PC Danny Rodriguez and PC Simon Debono gave an overview of the current problems that the RGP are facing in Gibraltar. With Social Media now part of everyday life, whether it is WhatsApp, Snap chat, Musically, the danger of misuse by children using these applications is on the increase. Danny and Simon educated the audience about the trends they are experiencing in Gibraltar and in the U.K. and advised how adults can spot changes in a child’s character, especially when using electronic devices. Through a series of videos the RGP highlighted the potential impact of grooming, sexting and posting inappropriate images. Inspector Alex Enriles then gave an insight into the criminal laws for minors and adults, including information on the sex offenders register.
Daniel is a consultant research analyst and lecturer at Manchester University whose opinion is often used by the media when cyber security breaches appear – for example when Talk Talk had their large data breach, Daniel was consulted by the BBC news channel. Daniel gave a talk about the current security threats that parents may face, informing them to embrace rather than control the risk. Supporting young children in making the right decision was an important message, rather than confrontation and over control. A ‘Hitchhikers guide’ into the function of some of the main social media applications was delivered. He explained how, as a parent himself, it is important to spot the signs of cyber misuse early, for example if a child is being too secretive whilst online. He then looked at parenting and how to achieve the fine balance between caring and interfering, linking this to applications that are available to help online security, showing that there are Kitemarks for these software applications. Daniel then went through aspects relating to ‘The green surf code’, which was devised like the ‘green cross code’ for crossing the road. One of these code points was to ‘Know who you’re going to call when there’s a problem’. This led nicely into the information about who to contact to report abuse, fraud, grooming, cyber bullying, inappropriate content etc.
Thank you to Dr. Dresner and the RGP for their support.
If you are interested in learning more then there is the Gib Cyber Security Summit on June 13th, www.gibcyber.com
Key notes from Dr. Dresner’s presentation can be viewed as a PDF here.
