How Australia’s seniors can protect themselves online
One of the impacts of coronavirus is the increased speed at which businesses and individuals are migrating to online services and communication platforms.
The Physio Co is no different.
We started exploring online consultation options in mid-2019, potentially as a small part of our service. Fast forward to 2020 and with coronavirus restrictions in place, many Australians are staying home to protect themselves and the community. Observing physical distancing rules will likely see a reduction in coronavirus, but restrictions of some sort are likely to stay in place for months to come.
Change is always tricky and when it happens quickly it can be especially disconcerting, but we need to embrace the online world in order to stay connected to each other and receive the services we need. The pandemic will end, and when we get there we want as many older Australians as possible to be mobile, safe, happy and ready to enjoy it.
The most common concern we hear with moving services online is about personal information. With this in mind, here are some easy-to-follow tips from the Australian Cyber Security Centre to help you keep your personal information safe online:
- Secure your email, social media and apps
Strong security on any platforms where you exchange personal information will help to minimise the risk of identity theft.
- Turn on two-factor authentication wherever possible.
- Use ‘strong passwords’. This is a password of at least 13 characters and a mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters.
- Don’t use the same password on different accounts.
- If you have a lot of passwords to remember, consider using a password manager such as 1Password.
- Watch out for scam messages
- Check the link before you click it (hover over the link to see the actual web address).
- Never enter your username or password from links in messages. Go to the official website or app.
- If a message seems suspicious (including too good to be true) contact the person/business through a separate, legitimate source to confirm it.
- Secure your mobile and computer
- Use a PIN or password for login.
- Keep your software up to date. Software updates often contain security updates.
- Install security software on your devices to protect you from malicious software.
- Check public Wi-Fi before connecting.
- Information on public Wi-Fi can be intercepted, so turn off the automatic connection to unsecured Wi-Fi on your devices.
- Always opt for non-public internet options when possible, i.e. your mobile phone network operator or personal home Wi-Fi connection.
The Physio Co is an Australian owned and operated company. We are subject to the delivery of services in line with The Privacy Act 1988 and Australian data privacy regulations. In 16 years of operation, we have never had a reportable data breach and are grateful for the information you provide us to better care for you. There is no guarantee that we will never hit a roadblock, but we will keep doing everything we can to look after you both in-person and online.
Article written by Michael Quinn (The Ops Guy)