As part of its National Cyber Security Pr
ogramme the UK government has announced the first stage in a new £4 million awareness campaign. The campaign due to be launched in the autumn draws on expertise from various government departments and is led by the Home Office.
Bids are currently being invited from media, PR and creative agencies to produce a communications strategy to educate consumers and small businesses on the risks presented by cyber crime.
Security Minister James Brokenshire says, "The digitisation of the UK economy has made our lives easier and has created huge opportunities, but it has also created individual security risks as well. If we are to meet these new challenges it's essential we step up our efforts to stay safe online".
Research by the National Fraud Authority has shown that if individuals and small businesses make minor changes to their behaviour they can prevent significant online losses. Brokenshire adds, "By making small changes British businesses can remain competitive in the global economy and consumers can have greater confidence using the internet".
Advice on protecting yourself online is already available on the government's Get Safe Online website. Strangely it's short of information on protecting your data from national security agencies...
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