The Government must launch a major campaign to raise awareness of how consumers can protect their data online, according to a group of MPs, who claim many people are being left in the dark due to technical jargon.
A report from the Science & Technology Select Committee warns that UK citizens need to be better informed about the risks posed by online malware and Internet scams.
“We believe that the Government has a duty to protect the people of the United Kingdom from crime regardless of whether that crime takes place on the streets or on the Internet,” the report says.
The committee made a number of suggestions for improving the current lack of ‘plain English’ information, including a major awareness drive and a public malware detection web service. Internet security awareness site, Get Safe Online, is in need of “substantial investment and improvement,” the committee said.
“Get Safe Online needs a much higher profile among UK computer users,” the committee said. “We need a one-stop shop for victims of cyber crime to report the crime and get authoritative information on how to remedy their situation.”
Committee chair Andrew Miller said. “Government departments need to realise that better public information about computer safety could save huge numbers of people the hassle of having their personal details stolen.”
The government cyber security strategy was aimed primarily at protecting business and critical national infrastructure from cyber attacks. It called for greater cross-sector collaboration and information sharing and revealed that intelligence agency GCHQ would recieve 50% of the UK’s £650m cyber security budget.
