Stop. Think. Connect. Internet Safety

In October 2013, the Washington State Attorney General's Office joined the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Internet Safety campaign.  On the following pages, you'll find information and tips on how to keep yourself safe when using the internet, gaming on-line, using social media, and dealing with cyberbullying.  The Attorney General's Office is proud to be a part of this global campaign to educate consumers on cybersecurity best practices, and help keep all citizens safer and more secure online.
 

Learn more about the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. campaign:

STOP. THINK. CONNECT. is the global cybersecurity awareness campaign to help all digital citizens stay safer and more secure online.

The message was created by an unprecedented coalition of private companies, non-profits and government organizations with leadership provided by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG).

The campaign was launched in October of 2010 by the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Messaging Convention in partnership with the U.S. government, including the White House.
 
NCSA, in partnership with the APWG, continue to lead the campaign. The Department of Homeland Security leads the federal engagement in the campaign.

Presidential Proclamation

President Barack Obama declared STOP. THINK. CONNECT. the national cybersecurity awareness campaign during his Presidential Proclamation of National Cyber Security Awareness Month in 2010.

An excerpt of the proclamation reads:

"Together with businesses, community-based organizations, and public- and private-sector partners, we are launching a National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign:  "Stop. Think. Connect."  Through this initiative, Americans can learn about and become more aware of risks in cyberspace, and be empowered to make choices that contribute to our overall security."

Read the entire proclamation here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/10/01/presidential-proclamation-national-cybersecurity-awareness-month

Goals and Objectives

We will encourage all Internet users to be more vigilant about practicing safe, online habits; ensure that Internet safety is perceived as a shared responsibility at home, in the workplace, and throughout our communities; and transform the way the public and private sectors and the U.S. federal government collaborate to make cybersecurity a reality.

Our goal is to help people understand not only the risks that come with using the Internet, but also the importance of practicing safe online behavior.

We aim to:

• Increase and reinforce awareness of cybersecurity, including associated risks and threats, and provide solutions for increasing cybersecurity.
• Communicate approaches and strategies for the public to keep themselves, their families and their communities safer online.
• Shift perception of cybersecurity among the American public from avoidance of the unknown to acknowledgement of shared responsibility.
• Engage the public, the private sector, and state and local governments in our nation's effort to improve cybersecurity.
• Increase the number of national stakeholders and community-based organizations engaged in educating the public about cybersecurity and what people can do to protect themselves online.

Institutional History

By Spring, 2009, APWG and NCSA already had a large number of retail-facing companies as sponsors and members who were expressing an interest in these organizations' work in consumer education.

APWG Secretary General Peter Cassidy, in collaboration with NCSA's Aimee Larsen-Kirkpatrick, authored a program prospectus called Optimizing Counter-eCrime Consumer Education Through Unified Online Safety Messaging, calling for the development of a unified messaging scheme that would be shared by industry and government agencies, enhancing resonance and retention and reducing apparently conflicting messaging.

NCSA and APWG circulated the prospectus among their sponsors and members and organized the coalition from companies and agencies that expressed interest in the project.

The first Messaging Convention meeting, in June 2009 at Fox Interactive Media, almost immediately catalyzed the group and its sense of mission. Striking was the fact that with personnel from around 20 companies, the initial group was able to agree on the core principles for the message identified by afternoon session. A consensus was struck that the work represented a reasonable proposal, and that it should continue to completion.

This coalition of industry, government and non-profits, the Online Consumer Security and Safety Messaging Convention and now known as the STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ Messaging Convention, embarked upon an intensive collaborative effort to develop a message that would resonate with the general public and ultimately change behavior toward safer online habits.

After a yearlong process of member meetings, research, focus groups, opinion polling and industry and government collaboration, the Messaging Convention selected the phrase Stop. Think Connect and its associated logography.

The STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Messaging Convention, Inc. was incorporated as a Virginia corporation in December 2010, roughly a year and a half after the conception of the project by the APWG.

About the APWG

The APWG, founded in 2003 as the Anti-Phishing Working Group, is a global industry, law enforcement, and government coalition focused on eliminating the identity theft and fraud that result from the growing problem of phishing, email spoofing, and crimeware.

Membership is open to qualified financial institutions, online retailers, ISPs, the law enforcement community and solutions providers. There are more than 2,020 companies, government agencies and NGOs participating in the APWG and more than 4,200 members.

The APWG's website offers the public and industry information about phishing and email fraud, including identification and promotion of pragmatic technical solutions that provide immediate protection.

About the National Cyber Security Alliance

The National Cyber Security Alliance is a non-profit organization. Through collaboration with the government, corporate, non-profit and academic sectors, the mission of the NCSA is to empower a digital citizenry to use the Internet securely and safely protecting themselves and the technology they use and the digital assets we all share.

NCSA works to create a culture of cyber security and safety through education and awareness activities. Visit www.staysafeonline.org for more information.