The Internet is a worthwhile place!

English version available soon.

The Internet is a world of opportunities, a worthwhile place! This was the main conclusion of the Safer Internet Day Seminar held on February 4th at Fórum Picoas, an event organized by the Centro Internet Segura Consortium in collaboration with the PT Foundation.

The initiative involved academics, psychologists, criminal investigation forces, youth associations and the media, among other experts, in a discussion about the challenges that Internet use poses to people's behavior, particularly that of young people.

The seminar opened with a welcome from Paulo Neves, CEO of Portugal Telecom. The host stressed the importance of promoting actions that promote responsible use of the Internet, as well as the security and protection of data that is made available online. José Vítor Pedroso, Director General of Education, then presented the Safe Internet Consortium and its mission to raise awareness in society about the risks of using the Internet. He highlighted the project's areas of intervention as the production of resources, training, awareness-raising and the promotion of activities. "This is work that evolves and adapts to technology," said the head of Education.

To talk about Digital Identity, Luís Antunes, Professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, presented various scenarios representing the vulnerability to which our personal data is subject and the digital trail generated by sharing information online. He warned of the "importance of controlling our exposure in the digital society, as all the objects around us are continually sharing information about us, which needs to be controlled, anonymized and even shuffled". The INESCTEC researcher presented some solutions for combating fraud in authentication systems, which are the focus of his area of research, such as the OFELIA [Open Federated Environments Leveraging Identity and Authorization] programme, funded by FCT.

The stage was set for the debate on Privacy and Personal Data Protection with Jorge Duque, Investigator at the PJ, Magda Cocco, Lawyer at VdA and Luís Antunes, moderated by journalist Fátima Caçador from Sapo Tek. Asked about the challenges that cyberspace poses to legislative policies, the participants pointed out the lack of consensus at global level on data privacy regulations. 

"Europe has an approach [in this matter] that is not culturally accepted in all countries," said Magda Cocco, and "European law allows data to be transferred to other countries as long as the Data Protection Commission authorizes it." Despite the constraints, the lawyer believes that Portugal and Europe have adequate legal instruments to protect the privacy of citizens' and companies' data. Jorge Duque, for his part, believes that the authorities should have more tools and that access to information needs to be faster. The inspector also shared information on how the authorities act in cases of identifying suspected pedophiles via the Internet.

Minds and Feelings of the Digital Age was the subject of a study on online behavior in young Portuguese people, presented by Ivone Patrão, lecturer and researcher at the University Institute of Psychological, Social and Life Sciences. "Being online is the main activity of many young people", the excessive use of technology and access to media and the Internet at an increasingly early age and without parental supervision are at the root of changes in the behavior and mood of many young people. And not only that, obesity or extreme thinness are also some of the consequences of this excessive exposure to the Internet. Boys are more "addicted" to online games, while girls prefer social networks. These young people spend an average of 6 hours a day online.

This is the portrait of the Digital Generation at risk and the theme that served as "fuel" for the next debate moderated by Rute Sousa Vasco, from SAPO: "Impacts of the digital generation: new profiles, new challenges!". Participating in the discussion were Susana Carvalhosa, from ISCTE, Isabel Baptista, from the National Cybersecurity Center and Paulo de Jesus, from the Division for Intervention in Addictive Behaviors and Dependencies (ARS Alentejo).

With a preventative approach, Susana Carvalhosa believes that education in "knowing how to respect others" is fundamental to avoiding abusive and hostile behavior among young people. The researcher explained the scope of the project she is developing at the Center for Social Research and Intervention (IUL) - ParentNets.com - aimed at parents and all those responsible for the education and training of children and young people. The site provides information on the Internet, social networks and technologies.

Isabel Baptista warns that "no one is [totally] safe online" and that digital citizenship should therefore be encouraged in schools and among families. In terms of awareness, she believes that senior citizens are the group most exposed to the risks of the Internet and lack critical information.

"Twenty years ago we were talking about drug addiction. The Institute for Drugs and Drug Addiction was created to respond to the problems of that time. Today we talk about addictions and the services are reorganizing themselves to meet the new challenges," said Paulo de Jesus in his speech. Today, as 20 years ago, it is believed that the pleasure factor is at the root of addiction and technologies provide satisfaction. The problem arises when the search for pleasure becomes a constant in young people's lives. For the technician and educator, "we can't demonize technology" and "theschool is overloaded with recommendations"; we need to act in the family space, in the virtual space and in all the spaces where young people meet.

The morning ended with recommendations from representatives of the Safer Internet Consortium:

"Parents are less aware of the dangers of online exposure," Vânia Neto, Microsoft.

"Society is not yet ready to respond to these challenges!", Jorge Queirós, IPDJ.

"The internet is the place where the Portuguese of the future spend a lot of time and will spend even more. (...) The internet is a place that is worthwhile. We need to promote safety and positive use of the internet.", João Carlos Sousa, DGE.

"Strengthening national cooperation to better promote Digital Inclusion and Literacy", Ana Cristina Neves, FCT.