TalkTalk has partnered with digital inclusion charity, Good Things Foundation, to help more people benefit from digital technology and better protect themselves from online threats.
Cyber crime continues to grow at an alarming rate - to the point where in the last year alone there were six million reported incidences of fraud and cyber crimes. Yet digital skills training hasn’t evolved to reflect the changing nature of the internet and the necessity to better protect ourselves from criminals online.
Recognising the need to help more people tackle the emerging challenges of the digital world, TalkTalk and Good Things Foundation have launched a new internet safety and security learning course, designed to build knowledge, confidence, and prepare people for what it means to be online today.
The course, called ‘Staying Safe In Your Digital World’, was developed in consultation with leading not-for-profit organisations Get Safe Online and Internet Matters and marks an industry first in the four organisations coming together to promote both digital inclusion and online safety.
The learning modules highlight common online threats, provide expert advice on topics including protecting personal information online, and equips learners with the tools to spot telephone and online scams. Learners will also have access to a downloadable guide with advice and information.
‘Staying Safe In Your Digital World’ launches on Get Safe Online Day (Tuesday 18th October) and will be available in over 5,000 UK online centres nationally, as well as accessible online by visiting https://www.learnmyway.com/courses/staying-safe-in-your-digital-world. It will also be shared with TalkTalk’s broadband, TV, landline and mobile customers.
Dido Harding, TalkTalk Chief Executive, says: “We are passionate about getting more people online because the internet can be a great force for good. But just as in the physical world there are also threats and dangers in the online world. In encouraging everyone to come online, we also have a responsibility to make sure we are providing the knowledge and tools to help people stay safe online from day one.”
Helen Milner, Chief Executive of Good Things Foundation commented: “We’re pleased to be working with TalkTalk to tackle one of the key barriers that prevent people from getting online: the concerns people face around keeping themselves safe and secure. With the digital world evolving at such a rapid pace, companies have a responsibility to help promote online safety to truly support those with little or no digital skills.”
Ivi Paduim-Quan, ICT tutor, North Somerset Training, who trialled the ‘Staying Safe In Your Digital World’ learning course said: "I think this course is a great addition to Learn My Way, safety is big issue for our learners and this course focuses on the latest safety issues that people face, particularly when it comes to social media."
Protecting against online threats
In addition to improving digital skills within the community TalkTalk also leads a nationwide campaign to tackle the growing threat of online and telephone scams. This summer the value for money provider launched Beat the Scammers - a nationwide awareness and education campaign in partnership with Get Safe Online.
As part of the campaign, the company was the first telecoms company to launch ‘Nevers’ - new guidelines outlining information it will never ask customers for, designed to help identify suspicious calls, texts and emails. The company has also improved its scams report and block service and now blocks around 170 million scam emails a day, as well as 92 million scam calls a month, more than double the amount from a year ago.
Over the years in which TalkTalk and Good Things Foundation have been working together hundreds of TalkTalk employees have become Digital Champions, volunteering at UK online centres to support some of the 12.6 million UK adults lacking basic digital skills.
TalkTalk employees can also take up to a week volunteering leave to support a charitable cause of their choice.
To find out more about the ’Staying Safe In Your Digital World’ course visit https://www.learnmyway.com/courses/staying-safe-in-your-digital-world and for more tips and advice about how to outsmart the scammers go to TalkTalk’s dedicated online hub: talktalk.co.uk/beatthescammers.
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Notes to Editors
For more information please contact TalkTalk Press Office on talktalk@mhpc.com or 0203 128 6902.
The new internet safety course will be used at the thousands of Get Online Week events happening across the country next week.
ONS cyber crime figures: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/overviewoffraudstatistics/yearendingmarch2016
ONS figures on UK internet usage:
About TalkTalk
TalkTalk was founded in 2003 to give people more choice, better value for money and make telecoms accessible to everyone. It has always challenged the status quo by launching first of a kind products including: free broadband at a time when people were paying above the odds; the first network-level parental controls HomeSafe; and a flexible TV service that quickly became Britain’s fastest growing TV service.
TalkTalk also leads or supports, a number of community initiatives and consumer campaigns:
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Beat The Scammers: Launched in June 2016 by TalkTalk in partnership with leading not-for-profit cyber-awareness group Get Safe Online, Beat The Scammers is a national, consumer-focused information and advice campaign to tackle the increasing threat of phone and email scams.
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Fix Britain’s Internet: Founded by TalkTalk, Sky, Vodafone and FCS in July 2016, Fix Britain’s Internet was set up to campaign for the best possible broadband for the UK. The campaign gives members of the public a chance to have their say on improvements they would like to see by writing directly to industry regulator, Ofcom.
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Internet Matters: TalkTalk, alongside the UK’s other major internet providers, has been a leading supporter of Internet Matters since May 2014. Internet Matters is a not-for- profit organisation which aims to help parents keep their children safe online founded by.
About Good Things Foundation
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Good Things Foundation is a charity that aims to make good things happen through digital technology. Established in 2011, Good Things Foundation leads a network of 5,000 local community partners, and works with a variety of national organisations to help hundreds of thousands of people every year to use the internet to improve their lives. Together we have helped almost 2 million people to use the internet and to develop basic online skills.
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Good Things Foundation manages the Learn My Way website, the leading digital skills learning platform which brings together over 30 free courses for beginners, from the very basics through to money management and managing your health online.
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The Get Online Week campaign, run by Good Things Foundation, runs from 17 - 22 October, and will see thousands of events across the country help people with low or no basic digital skills to take their first steps with digital.
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For further information please visit https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/