New Google campaign aims to keep you safe online

Google wants to keep you safe online. At least, that’s the claim made by a brand new campaign from the internet giant.

According to an official blog post, the idea behind the campaign — called “Good to know” — is to educate everyday internet users about the risks they face online, and to provide them with tips to improve their security.

More specifically, Google says, the campaign is aimed at the kind of person who “can’t be bothered to type a password into his phone every time he wants to play a game of Angry Birds”.

When this person does need a password, “maybe for his email or bank website, he chooses one that’s easy to remember like his sister’s name — and he uses the same one for each website he visits. For him, cookies come from the bakery, IP addresses are the locations of Intellectual Property and a correct Google search result is basically magic.”

The internet giant says Good to Know is aimed at addressing the fact that the tech industry “often fails to explain clearly enough why digital literacy matters”.

The campaign offers a number of basic consumer information tips: “Use 2-step verification! Remember to lock your computer when you step away! Make sure your connection to a website is secure!” for instance.

It also offers simple explanations of some of the web’s most basic building blocks, such as cookies and IP addresses.

The physical aspect of the campaign will be in the US only, with ads appearing in newspapers and magazines, as well as New York and Washington DC subway stations. All of the tips are, however, available online.

Google says that Good to Know is its “biggest-ever consumer education campaign focused on making the web a safer, more comfortable place.”

As part of Good to Know, Google claims, it has “created resources like privacy videos, the Google Security Center, the Family Safety Center and Teach Parents Tech to help you develop strong privacy and security habits”.