Cybercrime is an issue everyone should be concerned about considering that it costs people over $1.42 billion in losses in the (Statista). You have a chance to help reduce that number by educating the general public on online safety. As a website builder, you will be able to benefit from offering your target audience this kind of valuable information because it will inspire loyalty and give you positive publicity.
Skilled Hackers Vs. Complacent Users: Is Cybercrime Unstoppable?
As the losses from cyber-crimes are growing globally, it’s easy to see this problem as something unstoppable. However, the truth of the matter is that hackers are running rampant with such success only because the majority of people don’t do anything to protect themselves. They simply don’t know how.
It’s a sad fact but the average Internet user has only the vaguest idea about the importance of online security measures. The number of people who are both aware of this and able to protect themselves is very small. Hackers exploit this vulnerability the same way they exploit weaknesses in digital defenses. The result of this is that millions of people are currently compromised because their private data was stolen in one of the many notorious hacks.
Considering all this, it’s the duty of every person with the skill and knowledge of online safety to spread the word about it. As a website builder, you are directly involved with people who must know all the best methods of online protection to keep not only their personal information safe but their future customers as well.
How and Why You Should Be Educating Your Audience About Online Safety
There are many ways to educate your audience about both the importance of online safety and methods of achieving it. You can prepare information packages and send them to your clients directly. You can provide a link to an exemplary guide on the topic so they can learn directly from it. You can also publish several articles on your blog or send them out as a part of your email content marketing campaign. And don’t forget creating online courses and hosting webinars to teach your audience how to protect their privacy online.
The best way to go is to use all of the above methods. This will ensure that you get the message across as well as provide you with a lot of content ideas.
Reasons to provide such education to your audience include but aren’t limited to:
* Winning your customers’ loyalty by showing that you care about their safety.
* Helping people keep their private information safe and therefore reducing the overall number of vulnerabilities for hackers to exploit.
* Increasing your revenue due to additional traffic and leads you get through sharing this type of valuable content.
However, you also shouldn’t forget that nowadays, educating your audience about online safety isn’t only a matter of personal responsibility. It’s an actual legal requirement under the auspices of General Data Protection Regulation (GDRP). Disobeying this regulation leads to heavy fines and possible bans of some websites within the policy’s jurisdiction.
GDRP is a policy that aims to protect Internet users by limiting the website owners’ ability to collect information about visitors and implanting trackers under the guise of cookie files. Do be aware that cookie file use notifications are a must today, so regardless of your position on online safety education, you must provide this warning. Most importantly, GDRP requires you to provide not only warning but also a consent form.
It’s a thing that you need to consider even if your website doesn’t target countries covered by GDRP. A consent form that informs the visitor of what kind of information your website will collect and how it can be used reduces your liability. This can make a difference in case you are ever hacked and the information is stolen. Be sure to inform your clients about this as well and offer them a chance to build in such pop-ups.
Overall, it’s your responsibility as a website builder to teach others about online safety because you can do it. Your work and will benefit from this on multiple levels and you’ll make your contribution into making the Internet a safer and better place. And don’t forget that your audience shall reward you with loyalty and increased business.
