Partner Press Release

PALO ALTO, CA — January 1, 2020, — ConnectSafely.org, the nonprofit organization dedicated to educating users of connected technology about safety, privacy and security, is hosting the official U.S. Safer Internet Day celebration in Mountain View, Calif. on Tuesday, February 11th.

Safer Internet Day (#SID2020) is a global event, celebrated on the same day in more than 100 countries around the world. The event gained official recognition in the U.S. in 2012, with a joint agreement between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the European Commission to work together to build a better internet for youth. ConnectSafely was appointed U.S. host in 2013. The 2020 theme is “Together for a better internet.”

This year’s main event, which takes place at the Computer History Museum, brings together hundreds of middle and high school students, policy makers and tech industry leaders to discuss internet safety. 

“Safer Internet Day is an opportunity for people around the world to look for ways to make the online world not just safer, but better,” said ConnectSafely CEO Larry Magid. “ConnectSafely is proud to host the U.S. celebration in cooperation with public officials, tech companies, other nonprofits and, most importantly, students from the Bay Area and across the country who will be joining us in person or via the stream.”

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Get Involved

There are lots of ways to celebrate Safer Internet Day in your community or home. See the full list at SID2020.org.

  • Host a screening of the film LIKE, which explores the impact of social media on our lives. How to host a screening.
  • Brainstorm “rules” for digital civility. Create an online and printed pledge with everyone’s best ideas.
  • Contact your local news station to arrange a tour for your group. During the tour, “interview” a journalist or news executive. Some ideas for questions: How do you manage your public online presence? How do you deal with trolls? How has social media hurt or helped your industry?
  • Team up with a local coding academy or maker space for an in-person discussion or webinar. Discuss how digital civility, safety, privacy and security can be “baked” into websites and apps.
  • Volunteer to coach seniors on how to use their phones and computers.
  • Design or sponsor an app that promotes digital safety and civility.
  • Jump start family discussion about digital safety and civility. Some conversation starters:
    • An ad pops up while you’re doing a search—you click on the ad—it takes you away from your original search. What do you do?
    • You’re using an app that you have permission to use, but while using the app you get a message from someone you don’t know. What do you do?
    • You post a picture of a friend or classmate and they ask you to take it down. What do you do?
    • You have a friend over at your house and that friend ask for the passcode/password to your family iPad/laptop. What do you do?

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U.S. Safer Internet Day 2020 is a collaboration of tech companies, nonprofits and public agencies, including Google, Microsoft, NortonLifeLock, Facebook, Comcast, Twitter, Trend Micro, NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, National PTA, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Common Sense Media, Committee for Children, Internet Education Foundation, National Cyber Security Alliance, Family Online Safety Institute and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The full agenda and more information is available at SID2020.org.