Internet without age but with more security
Internet without age but with more security
First posted: Thursday, April 15, 2021, 06:23
of George Papaprodromos, Lieutenant General (retd.), Law Graduate of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Specialist in Cybercrime.
The development of new technologies in recent decades has created a new, more connected reality than ever before in human history.
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Technology brings many wonderful promises, with its creators extolling its achievements and results, but at the same time it also brings a series of challenges and risks (Harari, 2018, p. 16)
The internet as we know it in its current form is old (specific time frame with a peak in the 1990s) and its pioneers (not just one person or one state but a multitude of different individuals) are now elderly people (with some of them having left behind their legacy and physical presence).
It was designed to promote communication in human societies, freedom of expression, the promotion and circulation of ideas and values, services and products that will contribute to improving people's lives (Jarque, et al., 2017, p. 120).
And all of this can be implemented through the concept of digital accessibility.
When we say digital accessibility, we mean that everything that has been designed in the new technological reality (websites, software, applications, hardware, tools) is developed in such a way that all individuals can make use of the capabilities provided by each individual element[1].
Connectivity in the new digital environment is achieved through the use of billions of devices, mainly mobile phones, laptops, personal computers, but also other devices such as smart watches, smart TVs and other devices.
Is this happening today and to what extent?
The most recent data (see Figure 1) shows that a significant portion of the world's population (approximately 40,5%) does not participate in this connected reality despite all the progress that has been made in recent years, a sign of technological inequality but also of social inequality.
There are 4,66 billion Internet users today, while 3,1 billion people cannot connect.
This fact constitutes the so-called "digital divide", which affects individuals and countries characterized by poverty, also having a class dimension (Cull, et al., 2021, p. 166) see Figure 2
The same gap exists at the gender level since globally, approximately 250 million fewer women use the Internet than men (Cull, et al., 2021, p. 164).
People on the digital margin include the elderly, people with disabilities, people with low incomes, rural populations (farmers, livestock breeders, fishermen) (Jarque, et al., 2017, p. 122).
The digital divide in its age dimension tends to widen through the prevalence of a stereotype that the elderly person does not have the ability to adapt to the new digital environment, so it is futile to try to integrate into it (Fuente-Núñez, et al., 2021, p. 29).
The so-called generation gap also creates a differentiation in the qualitative characteristics of connected individuals since the landscape is not uniform at the user level and this is also due to different socioeconomic data, with the important role of education.
The concept of the elderly, beyond chronological age and the biological aging process, is linked to the social context of each society and its perceptions (Rights, 2018, p. 6).
The legal status and protection framework for older people
Both in the Greek legal order and in the corresponding international and European one, the protection of older persons stems from a series of provisions[2] (Constitution, laws, directives, international treaties[3]), from the perspective of equal treatment of individuals, without any discrimination, either direct or indirect, based on certain characteristics to which the legislator includes age.
A typical case is the Irish case, Martin v. Esplanade Hotel, in which the elderly party (Martin) brought a lawsuit against a business (a hotel) for indirect discrimination in a service provided (a hotel room) at a price higher than that of the online booking. The elderly plaintiff invoked this discrimination, providing evidence that older people are less likely to have access to computer facilities and to have information technology skills, essentially invoking the digital divide (Dewhurst, 2020, p. 106).
In the legal dialogue, it is now a demand of the international community (from at least 140 countries around the world) to sign a treaty for the protection of older persons[4].
What should be done regarding elderly people?
Taking into account the above data, in the post-pandemic period, local communities and states should undertake specific initiatives for the inclusion of older people, by further utilizing and strengthening their social structures, encouraging digital literacy, making it clear that online reality and electronic transactions can be easy, reliable and secure, bridging any gap (Freije-Rodríguez, et al., 2020, pp. 165,166).
The timing of the health crisis with its pandemic characteristics has brought to the fore two critical concepts for all countries, such as that of telelearning and teleworking, testing the limits of our social role, which Aristotelianally wants us to be social beings by nature and place (where the concept of distance does not exist)[5].
In reality, older people felt more than ever the need to connect with their loved ones (grandchildren, children and friends), to seek reliable information on health issues that were and will be in the news, to interact through new technologies (buying products and banking transactions). However, cybercriminals made their presence felt[6], taking advantage of the particular conditions of the pandemic and the digital illiteracy of older people.
Elderly people, unfamiliar with technology, look to their immediate environment for help, their children worry about their parents' online lives, and without proper information about cyber threats, they are vulnerable to cybercriminals[7].
For this reason, the competent law enforcement authorities have implemented and are implementing information campaigns[8] and prevention with detailed instructions for elderly people and their environment (mainly in the area of fraud with a diversity of methods of action), encouraging victims to report Cybercrimes.
In the direction of targeted information for elderly people[9] who are connected to cyberspace or who will want to connect, a special role can be played, for the Greek reality, by the state itself with the Digital Citizens Academy[10], which at the moment the only relevant material it has posted is relevant for people with disabilities[11].
This effort can also be embraced by the scientific community with the country's educational institutions (universities, research centers, social structures, special programs developed by the EU[12]), enriching the material available on this specific platform.
Older people have the right to access a safer internet – The EU perspective
The EU[13] has generally prioritized the support of older people, who make up 19,2% of its population[14], promoting solidarity and responsibility between generations, through the adoption of the relevant agenda[15].
Digital literacy, especially in rural areas[16], is essential for the lives of older people in the EU in a digitalised world. People need to be educated at all ages and acquire basic and advanced digital skills[17] in an economy and society that is constantly transforming.
Strengthening education and training structures, best practices and the organizational changes required, through innovation and the availability of relevant resources, can help older people overcome social isolation, making the internet accessible and more friendly for everyone.
However, the most important gain for societies that support older people in the online reality, for greater safety, is the message of human solidarity, of the human-centered use of new technologies, which emphasize human values (freedom, democracy, human rights).
Time is passing quickly for all of us, both for those who created and support the Internet and for those who use it, and as one of its pioneers, Tim Berners-Lee[18], points out, the universality of the Internet and its accessibility by all people is perhaps its most important aspect.
References
Cull, R., Foster, V. & Jolliffe, D., 2021. World Development Report 2021: Data for better lives, Washington: The World Bank.
Dewhurst, E., 2020. Age discrimination law outside the employment field, Luxembourg: European Union – Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers.
Freije-Rodríguez, S. et al., 2020. Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2020: Reversals of Fortune, Washington: The World Bank.
Fuente-Núñez, V. dl et al., 2021. Global report on ageism, Geneva: World Health Organization.
Harari, YN, 2018. 21 lessons for the 21st century. sl:Alexandria.
Jarque, C. et al., 2017. Working Group on Education: Digital skills for life and work, sl: UNESCO -ITU.
Rights, T. EU f. F., 2018. Shifting perceptions: towards a, Luxembourg: The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.
[1]https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/
[2] Article 21 of the Constitution 1975/1986/2001/2008/2019, Law 4443/2016 Government Gazette A 232, 2000/43/EC, Article 14 ECHR, Article 13 Charter of Fundamental Rights
https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/fra-2018-fundamental-rights-report-2018-focus_en.pdfσελ.21
[3]https://www.coe.int/en/web/human-rights-intergovernmental-cooperation/promotion-of-human-rights-of-older-persons
[4]https://age-platform.eu/campaign/eu-leads-rallying-un-convention?fbclid=IwAR0YWrfYZpLEYH-nGtw3OrvuzjoJqLa5BUY3rrXZGqVtZ6xsGcQ4pBxio7I
[5]https://www.ethnos.gr/apopseis/143794_kybernoasfaleia-kai-ekpaideysi-se-mia-syghroni-koinonia-stohoi-kai-proteraiotites
[6]https://www.europol.europa.eu/newsroom/news/crime-against-elderly-four-arrests-in-germany-and-poland&https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/elderly-online-uk-lose-four/
[7]https://media.kasperskycontenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/2018/03/08233606/Report_Over-55s_Online_ENG.pdf
[8]http://www.astynomia.gr/index.php?option=ozo_content&perform=view&id=132&Itemid=125&lang&https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/elder-fraud
[9] Which constitute 21,3% of the country's population
[10]https://nationaldigitalacademy.gov.gr/
[11]https://nationaldigitalacademy.gov.gr/diadiktyo-2/odhgies-anaptykshs-ekpaideutikou-ylikou-prosbasimou-apo-atoma-me-anaphria-115
[12]https://age-platform.eu/project/digitol&https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Iwd6dN2O8&t=2s
[13]https://ec.europa.eu/eip/ageing/home_en.html
[14]https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/infographs/elderly/index.html
[15]https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/1_en_act_part1_v8_0.pdf
[16]https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/1_en_act_part1_v8_0.pdf σελ. 18
[17]https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/1/2020/EL/COM-2020-624-F1-EL-MAIN-PART-1.PDF σελ. 12
[18]https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/
Last update: Thursday, April 15, 2021, 06:28