Page 48 - How to be Cyber Safe + Savvy

CHAPTER 4: Protecting Yourself From Fraud and Scams
Required: A Healthy Dose of Skepticism
In the 1968 hit song “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” Marvin Gaye reminded us to cast a skeptical
eye on information in the public sphere: “People say believe half of what you see, son, and none of what you hear.”
In the digital age, this “half and none” standard might be too generous. Re- member, wise data care practices do not stop with how we safeguard the personally identifiable information we give out online. Data care also means being a thoughtful, discriminating con- sumer of the information coming back in our direction. The online content we consume via email, social media, and news and information sources can go back and forth confusingly and quickly between trustworthy and not so
much. We must be able to tell the dif- ference between what is false, decep- tive, and malicious and what is true, reliable, and friendly.
Hoaxers and tricksters abound
Unfortunately, this task is only be- coming more difficult. Nearly every online information channel suffers
from worsening forms of information pollution. Our email inbox brings
us more scam "phishing" campaigns every day. Social media platforms are rife with hoaxers and tricksters preying on our trusting nature. And news and information websites are littered with disinformation and mis- information that can endanger our health, rob us of money, and damage the foundations of civil society.
Truth can be a scarce commodity
In all these areas, the fake and the fraudulent can crowd out the true. Un- fortunately, an online truth detector does not yet exist. Instead, for consum- ing content, data care means bringing vigilant, skeptical thinking skills to everything we read, hear, and watch.
48 CYBER SAFE + SAVVY