Media release – Tasmanian Small Business Council, 11 December 2023
Cyber Security – Small businesses biggest headache
‘Small Businesses biggest headache for the next decade will be navigating the treacherous waters of the cybersphere’, said Robert Mallett, CEO of the Tasmanian Small Business Council.
‘There are limited defence mechanisms small business owners can put in place and the most effective will be well trained staff and a diligent IT provider.
‘Less than 15% of small businesses use a professional IT provider to set up systems, manage the security of their internet and assist in monitoring potential malicious emails and phishing websites.
‘It’s no good having a great IT professional if you can’t back that up with strict email and website protocols with your personal activities’, Mr Mallett said.
‘The Albanese Government is supporting the Council of Small Business of Australia (COSBOA) and helping small businesses to prevent digital threats through the recently launched $23.4 million Cyber Wardens program.
‘Cyber Wardens provides small businesses with online training for employers and their staff to help them identify cyber safety practices that they can implement in their business to better protect their business, employees and clients. This short programme is accessible at https://cyberwardens.com.au.
‘The message is simple, if you aren’t sure, don’t click. Some of the biggest giveaways are the email addresses that the email message comes from. Most of them are complete garbage, bound to be dodgy. Don’t click!
‘As AI technology improves, and the skills of the scammers do too, increased knowledge, vigilance, personal attention and professional help will be the initial activities which will keep our small businesses, our staff and our customers personal information safe.
Media release – Choice, 12 December 2023
Global consumer alliance urges governments to require tech companies to protect people from scams
9 out of 10 Australians also support strong penalties for digital platforms who fail to detect and prevent scams
Choice has joined over 20 consumer groups from 19 countries in a joint international statement calling on governments to require social media and other tech companies to implement stronger protections against the growing risks of online scams.
The global statement on stopping online scams highlights the enormous losses to scams globally and the role that technology companies play in enabling these scams.
“Tech giants such as Facebook, Instagram and Google are failing to prevent scammers from using their platforms to target victims, causing enormous amounts of harm to consumers globally. In Australia, losses reported to Scamwatch from scams on social media have increased to over $66 million in 2023, an increase of more than 40% on the same time period in 2022,” says Choice Senior Campaigns and Policy Adviser, Alex Soderlund.
“These tech companies have the resources and technology to do more to protect everyone from scammers, but they won’t implement effective protections until the law requires it. International consumer groups are united in calling for governments across the world to ensure there are significant penalties if these technology giants continue to let scams run rampant on their platforms,” says Soderlund.
Read the full global statement here: http://choice.com.au/stoponlinescams
The global statement comes as new nationally representative data from Choice found 9 out of 10 Australians support strong penalties for digital platforms who fail to detect and prevent scams. The research also found:
- 88% of Australians agree that digital platforms will not protect people from scams unless they are required to do so by law
- 88% of Australians agree that digital platforms currently don’t do enough to protect people from scams
“Our research shows that an overwhelming majority of people would like to see the Australian government require digital platforms to protect people from online scams. The UK has already passed laws requiring technology platforms to prevent fraudulent scam ads, and Australians are currently missing out on these protections. We’re looking forward to engaging with the Australian Government’s recently announced consultation to make sure there are strong rules backed by significant penalties in Australia too,” says Soderlund.
Read the full story here: http://www.choice.com.au/scamsglobalalliance
See the global statement on stopping online scams here: http://choice.com.au/stoponlinescams.
Sign the petition for stronger scam regulations here: http://www.choice.com.au/ScamsPetition
