1. secure Internet access

Imagine that your front door had no lock and that anyone who passed by your apartment could enter your home without your permission. He could do whatever he wanted without you stopping him. Not a pleasant idea. That’s exactly why there are keys. And there are also keys for your Internet access. If you use WLAN (a wireless Internet connection), you should definitely choose a strong password.

To secure your Internet access, connect your router to your computer via LAN cable and open the appropriate page in your browser. This can be found in the operating manual of your device. To do this, you need your access password and then navigate to the settings with which you can configure the password. By default, the WLAN password is located on the bottom of your router. The next tip will show you how to find a secure and suitable password.

2. choose the correct password

Passwords are less about length than about complexity. Use a combination of upper and lower case, numbers and special characters. In general, it is not recommended to use names, birthdays, places or the like, as they are easy to guess and decipher.

For verification purposes, you can also find password security sites on the Internet. Let’s take an example:

The word „password“ as one of the simplest and most insecure passphrases ever requires a fraction of the time of the password „p4$$vV0r7“ to be decrypted. This is better, but not ideal. Be creative and combine length and complexity. For example, an ideal password would be „c2;++3VX“. This was created with a password generator, which you can use as well, if no combination comes to mind. Make a note of the password with pen and paper and keep it in a safe place.

3. the antivirus programme

But even the best password is useless if it is read out by malware and then sent together with your confidential data via your email address, without you knowing about it or it can be reversed. For this reason, you need a suitable antivirus program to further increase your security on the Internet and to protect you from nasty surprises.

There is a variety of antivirus software from well-known manufacturers, such as Bitdefender, Kaspersky and Norton, which sell first-class programs. According to a January 2015 test, their „Security Suites 2015“ are the top 3 best antivirus programs of the year. They offer free trial versions for those who don’t like to buy a pig in a poke.

Among the top 10, however, there is also a free alternative: Avast Free Antivirus. In my opinion, this program is perfectly sufficient for normal Internet use and safe surfing. Other free antivirus software is also available from Avira and AVG.

4. disable advertising

„Congratulations, you’ve won 1 million euros!“, „How to earn 3,400 euros in just one minute!“, „Register now and win a brand new car!“. This is how cheaters try to lure you over the Internet. Often such advertisements and alleged „super offers“ appear in new windows, so-called „pop-ups“. The fact that these have the exclusive purpose of only pulling the money out of the unsuspecting user’s pocket is not always immediately apparent. One has fast a subscription or a sales contract locked, without having intended it.

This is where Adblock (the advertising blocker) comes into play. Depending on the browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, etc.) there are different versions of the software. This is installed in just a few steps and requires only a restart of your browser, so that you can surf the Internet ad-free and safe.

5. unknown emails

Be suspicious of your emails. A malicious program or Internet fraud quickly hides behind a supposedly serious offer. Most mail programs such as Mozilla Thunderbird already have very intelligent mechanisms to protect you from such spam or junk mails. The terms „spam“ and „junk“ mean as much as „trash“ or „junk“ and reflect the value of these emails: that they are worthless, that they can be safely deleted and ignored. If you are still unsure, ask your relatives, acquaintances or, in an emergency, the consumer protection department what the email in question is about.

6. information on the Internet

Deal critically with information that concerns you personally. Ask yourself why a page you sign in to needs your address or credit card information, for example. Never give confidential information to people you don’t know. Fill out online profiles sparingly and not too detailed. Protect emails in which you send confidential information with encryption, because emails are not electronic letters, but rather postcards. This means that without encryption anyone can read these emails and in the worst case steal your identity.

7. be attentive and critical

In our opinion, this tip is the most important. Use your common sense, be critical and attentive, and question whether you feel the pages concerned are safe. Don’t believe everything on the Internet without thinking about it. The Internet is a medium like newspapers, radio and television.

Even the most expensive antivirus program, the most secure password, or the best encryption are of no use if you follow every supposedly serious offer lost in thought and thus destroy your newly gained security on the Internet again. Because security is not a product you can buy, install and then forget. You have to keep an eye on it and know how to handle it correctly so that there is no nasty awakening when surfing, shopping online or e-banking.

With the help of these seven simple tips and tricks, you can defy the dangers of the World Wide Web and surf the Internet safely without being led up the garden path or having to fear for your data.

8. Unblock restricted websites

In February 2018, the European Parliament approved the regulation on measures against geoblocking. Geoblocking is any restriction imposed by online shops based on nationality, place of residence or temporary residence. The new regulation has been in force since December 2018. Under the new rules, EU merchants must give consumers access to goods and services anywhere in the EU on the same terms, no matter where they go to the website.

However, copyright protected content is excluded from this rule for the time being. However, the European Parliament has obliged the EU Commission to examine within two years whether the ban on geoblocking should also be extended to digital copyrighted content such as e-books, music or online games. Making it easier for national minorities to access media content from their cultural area and in their language. The best method to unblock content like netflix is via smartdns or vpn.

In the motion submitted, the Landtag now calls on the Italian government to work to ensure that this content is also included in the regulation and that a uniform European copyright law is created in the longer term, as provided for by the Minority Safe Pack Initiative. „Many members of national minorities speak a language that is the majority language of another country in Europe. Due to the often too small number of speakers, it is not possible to build up a comprehensive media landscape independently. Therefore one is dependent on the media of the country with the same language.

The distribution of licences for media content within the Union is very complex and means that members of national minorities cannot make use of the existing services of the neighbouring country. A single European copyright law could make the whole Union a single market for copyright. This would, in particular, make it easier for national minorities to access media content from their cultural area and in their language. We could then, for example, watch ski races here in South Tyrol or the Champions League in live stream on the computer or mobile phone,“