For all the good that the internet accomplishes, I’m still astounded by the sheer amount of negative stuff on it too. I am constantly helping friends and family get rid of viruses, spyware, and adware. Even worse than that, many folks are having passwords stolen, computers and servers hacked, and other security-related problems. Indeed, safely using the internet seems like a daunting task to many people who are semil-computer literate.

There is no magic bullet for staying safe on the internet - even if you use Firefox on a Mac (like me) you are still vulnerable to such things. There is no technological cure for social-type fraud such as phishing (although some things can make it harder for phishing to work). In the end, the only cure for these things is for us to stay vigilant and informed. Knowing how to spot a phishing attempt, a program that can add spyware or adware, and being careful about what files we open go a long way to keeping us safe.

It is my firm belief that the vast majority of problems can be avoided with just a little bit of knowledge. This is why I’ve created Safe Internet Browsing - to educate people on small, easy steps they can take to protect themselves on the Internet.