Focus on e-safety as college appoints its first Internet Safety Officer

Published: 08 January 2010

As internet safety becomes an increasing concern for young people, their parents and their educators, Gateshead College has moved to ensure safer access to online services with the appointment of a new internet safety officer, who will oversee an action plan to identify and reduce risks.

Iain Arthurs has been appointed to steer through a two-year initiative aimed at raising awareness of greater internet safety – not only among staff and students, but also the wider community who access the college services via email and online services.

Gateshead College is the first in the Tyneside region to appoint an internet safety officer, which is being funded by Nominet Trust, a charitable organisation that provides funding for innovative projects, which strive to improve and encourage the development of a safe, educational and inclusive internet.

Internet safety is a growing issue as more and more people have access to online services, and the college's initiative follows the Department for Culture, Media & Sport's Digital Britain 2009 report.

This outlines how everyone can live and work online with confidence and safety and how computers can be protected by the simple measures people can take to reduce the threat from viruses, identify theft and online fraud.

The college’s move also comes ahead of Safer Internet Day 2010, a pan-European initiative taking place 9 February, which will promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially among children and young people around the world.

In 2009 Safer Internet Day was celebrated through 500 events in 50 countries all over the world.

The use of computers, mobile phones and the internet is increasing year-on-year, so the safety risk to people who use the technology is also growing with criminals targeting many at risk groups, including young people.

Technology-related crimes include buying and selling stolen goods over the internet, using social networking sites to harass people or extort money or using email, websites and mobile phones to share indecent or pornographic images.

Organisations in the public and private sector are also seeing computer technology increasingly used to commit fraud or launder money.

Young people are also targets of technology-related crime. A recent survey by an anti-bullying charity has discovered that one in three youngsters could have been the victim of cyber-bullying.

A recent poll of 2,000 11- to 18-year-olds by BeatBullying discovered an alarming growth in the use of technology like social networking sites and SMS messaging. Girls are four times more likely to be on the receiving end of cyber-bullying than boys.

A key role for Iain Arthurs will be to raise awareness of the risks to people who work in or interact with the college, including training key people to take the necessary precautions and encouraging them to pass on safety messages to students, their families and others.

He will be developing an action plan, including a programme of “drop in” workshops and training materials in collaboration with partners and stakeholders like Northumbria Police and the North East Fraud Forum, to promote greater internet safety to the wider community, groups and individuals whom the college also supports.

This will enable the thousands of people supported by the college to take advantage of the very latest advice to help them use services like social networking sites more safely, while parents will be able to monitor and discuss sensitively their children's use of the internet.

Training to help people improve their computer security operating skills will also be provided.

Gateshead College is looking to lay longer term foundations for improved internet safety as the project will also be an integral part of staff induction programmes and student support services activity as well as part of the support and training packages provided to employers.

Gateshead College’s e-learning manager Andrew Robson said:

“Internet safety is a huge issue. Iain’s appointment and the work he will be doing is another important service to the community and will be welcomed by many who may be worried about, or affected by the many safety issues surrounding computers and websites.

“It will ensure the structure is in place to make online access safer and easier for our staff, students and their families and other groups who use and benefit from our services.

“Computers and the internet can be daunting to some people so we will be drawing on our expertise and experience to ensure that the information is easy-to-understand, up to date and relevant.”