Video: Your Digital Safety

Carmen:  

Hi! Welcome back. 

[Quincy and Carmen wave] 

Quincy: 

As we’ve mentioned in prior videos in this series, digital safety is an important part of the online patient experience. 

Carmen: 

Exactly. And as great as it is to use all the virtual tools that are now available to patients—everything from participating in online appointments to educating and empowering yourself about your health—there are steps you can take along the way to help protect your personal information.

Quincy:  

Let’s start with WHY digital safety is so important. Cybercriminals, also known as hackers, can create “Internet threats” that target your personal information and, often, your financial stability. For example, someone may “hack” into one of your accounts to gain access to your credit card information. 

Carmen: 

So, being digitally safe means that you can recognize and avoid Internet threats, helping to keep your personal information secure while protecting your computer or device.  

Quincy:  

Let’s start with how to identify safe websites: 

• First, check to see if the owner of the website is an organization that you trust and recognize. 

• And, if it’s a website where you have to log in, make sure that the web address starts with “https”. The “s” at the end means that your data is secure and protected through encryption. 

• A privacy policy should be easy to find on the website, and is typically linked at the very bottom of the page. Sites that ask you for personal information should always have safeguards in place for protecting your data. A Privacy Policy is legal language on a web page that outlines what information the organization is collecting from you, how it is being used, and with whom it might be shared. 

Carmen: 

That’s good advice.  Try to create long passwords for accounts, using a combination of letters, numbers, and characters. You should store passwords in a safe place and change them regularly. Many sites also offer the option to turn on “two-factor authentication,” which requires two forms of identification—for instance, your email AND your phone number—for you to access your account. 

Online criminals are getting increasingly clever so if something doesn’t feel right, it’s best to trust your instincts.  

But it’s not just websites that you need to be picky about, right, Quincy? 

Quincy: 

Exactly. Your email inbox can be a target of what is called “phishing” scams. A phishing scam seeks to access a user’s personal information, including your passwords, account numbers or Social Security Number.  

For example, you could receive an email that appears like it is from a trusted source—like your bank—asking for personal or financial information, but really the email is a scam. If you are in doubt, call the institution at their publicly listed phone number and confirm it came from them.   

Here are a few tips for identifying phishing scams: 

• Don’t click on links or open files from sources you don’t know or trust. One way to check is to look at the full email address to ensure the message is coming from a real person. If you have doubts, don’t open it. 

• Avoid any claims that you owe money or that winnings are due to you. If you have any skepticism about emails like this, ignore them. You will likely be notified in other ways if these are legitimate claims. 

• And, remember no one should ask you for money via wire transfers or bank transfers.  

Carmen: 

That’s very helpful, Quincy. Now, what is the most used tech gadget, other than a personal computer, that can also impact your online safety? Here’s a hint: you hold it in your hand. 

Quincy: 

Your smartphone! The same rules apply, but here are a few additional smartphone-specific tips: 

• Only download apps from app stores that are recommended by your phone manufacturer, to protect your device’s security. 

• Set your phone to automatically lock with a password when not in use, so that strangers can’t access your personal information and data if you lose your phone. 

• Install software updates as they become available, so that any security-based improvements are implemented. 

• And, back up your data using cloud-based storage to ensure you don’t lose the personal information and data that are valuable to you. 

Carmen: 

Great points, Quincy. Updating your software to the latest version often includes security updates. You should receive a notification if your software is out of date.  

Quincy: 

Okay, so let’s review what we’ve learned: 

• Evaluate websites for safety and security and be careful about where you input your personal information. 

• Create long passwords that are hard to guess and be sure to turn on two-factor authentication, if available. 

• Be cautious about email: don’t download or open files from a source you don’t trust. 

• Finally, make sure to install any available updates on your devices, and to perform backups regularly. 

Carmen: 

Thanks, Quincy!  

And make sure to download the guide that accompanies this video to reference the tips and terms we just shared.  

Quincy: 

Thanks for joining us! 

[Quincy and Carmen wave]