photoxelsMcAfee Canada announced that as part of its commitment to the McAfee Cares – Online Safety for Kids program, an award-winning school initiative staffed by enthusiastic employees, volunteers have trained 2,358 school-age children and 296 adults on ways to stay safe, secure, and maintain good ethics in their online behaviour.
This program was first introduced in Canada in July 2012. Worldwide, McAfee has reached 64,649 students and 3,968 adults.
This video prsents “Pop Quiz: Cyberspace and Being CyberSafe”:
A recent McAfee-commissioned survey has found that Canadian consumers’ attitudes towards online surfing, Web security, and data protection have given rise to an incredible need for education and technology geared towards improving online habits. Survey results include the following:
- 55 per cent of Canadian households own three or more Internet-enabled devices
- 51 per cent of Canadian consumers spend at least 15 hours per week (or two hours per day) using their devices for personal reasons, contributing to an increased risk of exposure to online threats
- Canadian consumers place a value of $32,000 on the digital assets stored on their devices, and 51 per cent of those assets are considered impossible to restore if lost and not backed up properly
- 24 per cent of Canadians are unfamiliar with cyber risks
- 87 per cent of Canadians don’t protect our smartphones with comprehensive security
Protecting the online family requires a combination of education and secure technology. With its heavy investment in community service and market-leading software solutions, McAfee is emphasizing society’s shared responsibility in protecting our families, friends, and online identities.
NEWS RELEASE
McAfee Canada Volunteers Educate More Than 2,000 Students and 300 Parents About Online Safety and Cybersecurity
McAfee’s ongoing commitment to child and family online safety will reach another 1,000 Canadian students over the next few weeks
MARKHAM, Ontario, May 30, 2013 – McAfee Canada today announced that as part of its commitment to the McAfee Cares – Online Safety for Kids program, an award-winning school initiative staffed by enthusiastic employees, volunteers have trained 2,358 school-age children and 296 adults on ways to stay safe, secure and maintain good ethics in their online behaviour. McAfee’s relentless search for safe continues to drive the company’s ongoing plans to reach significantly more school children around the world.
“Since we introduced the Online Safety for Kids program in Canada in July 2012, McAfee Canada’s employees have given 26 presentations at schools across the country, with eight more planned for the next two months,” said Brenda Moretto, Canadian Consumer Sales Manager at McAfee. “Our mission is to increase awareness of cybersecurity and affect positive change through educating children and their parents on how to enjoy and benefit from technology while maintaining a healthy level of proper online behaviour. To date, we have reached 64,649 students and 3,968 adults worldwide.”
In order to participate as a volunteer for Online Safety for Kids, McAfee employees receive training in materials created by the STOP. THINK. CONNECT™ Messaging Convention, a public-private partnership established and led by the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) and National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), of which McAfee is a founding member. Volunteers present in classrooms and engage with students from kindergarten to high school and their parents, and provide them with content and materials designed to cultivate smart surfing habits. These include never uploading personal information and photos online, refraining from providing details on their whereabouts, and recognizing that they should never engage in cyber-bullying and should always report it when it occurs. Volunteers also communicate strategies to arm users with the knowledge of the positive steps required to use their digital devices safely and responsibly. For example, they stress the importance of installing and regularly updating a comprehensive security software package, utilizing complex security passcodes, and never opening emails or their attachments from people they don’t know.
Protecting the online family requires a combination of education and secure technology. With its heavy investment in community service and market-leading software solutions, McAfee is emphasizing society’s shared responsibility in protecting our families, friends and online identities.
To learn more about the program, visit http://mcafee.com/onlinesafety.
If you are an educator and would like to schedule a school visit from McAfee Cares – Online Safety for Kids program, contact cybereducation@mcafee.com.
Additional Resources:
● Infographic: Digital Assets Survey, May 2013
http://sawebdev.ca/mcafee/Digital_Assets_Survey_2013/
● Infographic: Canada: What’s a Password Worth to You?, May 2013
http://sawebdev.ca/mcafee/Password_Safety_2013/
● Press release: McAfee Reveals Pitfalls of Sharing Personal Data and Passwords with Partners, February 2013 http://www.mcafee.com/ca/about/news/2013/q1/20130204-01.aspx
● Infographic: Love, Relationships & Technology in Canada, February 2013
http://sawebdev.ca/mcafee/canadian_and_global_stats/LRT_infographic.html
● Press release: McAfee Mobile Study Documents Sophistication and Ubiquity of Risky Apps, February 2013 http://www.mcafee.com/us/about/news/2013/q1/20130219-01.aspx
● Infographic: Canadian Online/Mobile Surfing Habits and Concerns, October 2012
http://sawebdev.ca/mcafee/canadian_and_global_stats/online_mobile_surfing.html
About McAfee
McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), empowers businesses, the public sector and home users to safely experience the benefits of the Internet. The company delivers proactive and proven security solutions and services for systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world. With its Security Connected strategy, innovative approach to hardware-enhanced security, and unique Global Threat Intelligence network, McAfee is relentlessly focused on keeping its customers safe. http://www.mcafee.com.
McAfee Canada is headquartered in Markham, Ontario, with regional offices across Canada. The company’s Consumer Software Research and Development facility is based in Waterloo, Ontario.
Note: McAfee is a registered trademark of McAfee, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
