County offers lessons on Internet safety

By Cecilia Nasmith

Starting Nov. 16, Northumberland County is offering on-line learning sessions for residents and local businesses at no charge through the Digital Literacy Program.

The program offers sessions on three topics.

Nov. 16-Dec. 18 – Staying Safe on the Internet

Participants will learn to identify and defend against common Internet-based cyber-threats such as viruses, malware and phishing attacks delivered through fake e-mails and fake websites, using a variety of tools and techniques.

Jan. 4-Feb 5 – Bias and Fact Checking

This session will address bias, misinformation and disinformation on the Internet, and provide techniques and trusted sources for fact-checking and cross-referencing information.

Feb.15-March 19 – Stopping the COVID-19 “Infodemic”

Participants will learn how to help stop the spread of misinformation and disinformation in the COVID-19 “infodemic” by identifying and sharing credible sources of information.

Each session will be offered on-line three times per week – on Mondays and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and on Fridays at 2 p.m. - and registration is required.

These sessions are presented by Tech’d Out and supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage.

The press release stated that this program was developed to help foster a SMARTnorthumberland, the vision expressed in the county’s 2019 Digital Strategy

“We are excited to bring these informative sessions to community members and local small businesses as part of our vision to build a SMARTnorthumberland,” Northumberland Director of Information Technology Tony Paulic said.

“SMARTnorthumberland focuses on using technology to create inclusive prosperity, tackle social and governance challenges, and enrich quality of life for our community.

“During the development of our Digital Strategy in 2019, the need for digital literacy learning opportunities was identified as a key step towards building a digitally intelligent community. Providing residents and businesses with these essential skills will help foster an inclusive, prosperous and secure Northumberland.”

Community members are invited to register for the first session now at Northumberland.ca/DigitalLiteracy, and to stay tuned for updates about registering for other program sessions in 2021. A link to the learning session, to be delivered via Zoom, will be sent following registration.