By Sebastián Stranieri, VU's CEO
That the Internet is a growing phenomenon is no longer news and the statistics and trends prove it. In 2018, more than 360 million people around the world connected to the Internet for the first time. For its part, 2019 will go down in history as the year in which the Internet overtook television as the star media platform: the average online consumption stood at 170 minutes per day per person - that is, two hours and 50 minutes - against 167 minutes on average for TV, according to the latest report by Zenith Media, the market analysis agency, specializing in media, advertising and marketing.
Behind the popularity of digital media is largely the growing use of the Internet on mobile phones, whose consumption reached 130 minutes per day, per person, per device, according to the latest report developed by GSMA (Mobile for Development). In turn, the report shows the amount of mobile phones connected to the Internet, corresponds to 112% of the world's population, that is, there are more mobile phones connected to the Internet than people in the world. In 2018, there were already about 8.5 million devices connected to the Internet in the world; of these, 57% correspond to smartphones, that is, about 4.836 million mobile phones online.
There is no doubt, the use of the Internet seems to have no limits. It is growing at a dizzying pace all over the planet and crosses all areas of life, with its many benefits, but also with its permanent and increasingly updated dangers. That is why in the framework of the International Safer Internet Day, which this year is celebrated on February 11, it is key to reflect on whether or not we use the Internet safely, whether or not we are aware of the dangers of the network both for us and for our children.
At VU we work on fraud prevention and identity protection. However, our goal is not limited to developing technology for this purpose, but we also seek to train hundreds of people in computer security. We advise and work together with the public and private spheres to improve security measures in all its forms and promote a cultural change necessary to live safer in a world where everything seems to happen through the network.
It is necessary to break with the myth that "this will not happen to us", since we can always be violated by those who are waiting for the slightest carelessness. That is why the issue of computer security should be a matter of daily life, and not only considered on specific dates. The time invested in prevention can avoid many headaches, helping to leave without effect hundreds of attacks whose damages are irreversible.
Cybersecurity is no longer an issue for a few, but has become a cross-cutting issue for all sectors and actors in the system. It is no longer a public or private sector issue, it does not belong to the State or to companies, it does not belong to specialists or common users, but it is a problem that is growing and that we do not have to wait every year for this International Safer Internet Day to put it on the agenda of the media and society. Together we can make the Internet safer!
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