Smart speakers - Information and security

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Information and security
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bet | 9/18 | Sana | 20.05.2024 | Hajmi | 63,57 Kb. | | #246102 |
Bog'liq INFORMATION AND SECURITYSmart speakers
Smart speakers can do lots of different things including answering questions, responding to commands, setting alarms and timers, giving the weather forecast, playing music, and telling jokes. It is also possible to connect your smart speaker to other smart devices in your home such as lightbulbs or your heating.
Like any piece of technology, smart speakers have both benefits and risks. Many of the risks depend on how a smart speaker is being used. There are some key concerns people have about children using smart speakers in particular:
Accessing inappropriate or false content
Making unauthorised or accidental purchases
Having their data collected and used
Being ‘hacked’ through other devices the smart speaker is connected to
When setting the device up, be selective about what you share. If you already have a smart speaker, review what you have already shared in your profile or account. Consider whether you really need to link it to credit cards, address books or other connected devices (e.g. lights, security). Discuss the importance of using unique passwords with your child and keeping them private.
Set up parental controls on the smart speaker itself and any apps that have been linked to it. This can help reduce the risk of accessing inappropriate content (e.g. playing songs with adult lyrics). As smart speakers take information from the internet, make sure children know that the information that a smart speaker provides might not always be accurate.
Visit Internet Matters for a guide on how to set up parental controls on your smart speaker.
Keep talking with your child about how they are using the smart speaker and take an interest in the things they use it for. Remember that they may get a chance to use one unsupervised, for example, at a friend’s home. Set up a plan together about what they should do if something worrying or upsetting happens while using the smart speaker e.g. stop speaking, leave the room and tell an adult. Show them you are someone they can go to with any questions or worries.
There is no official or recommended age for a child to use a smart speaker.
It’s reported that 6 in 10 children will use a smart speaker in 2020. (Ofcom, 2021).
As with any piece of technology, use your judgement to decide if you are happy for your child to use it.
What can I do if something goes wrong? Reassure your child they have done the right thing by telling you and that you are there to listen and help. Try to remain calm and non-judgemental, to help your child feel comfortable in telling you how the issue happened.
Ask about the problem and try to find out how it happened. Was your child searching for something that you can answer instead? Smart speakers can be helpful but adults can give more personalised, age-appropriate answers to difficult questions. If something happened by accident, reassure your child it wasn’t their fault. Learn together from the experience and talk about how it could be avoided in the future. Explore the settings to see if you can do something to limit the risk of it happening again.
Zoom
Even if you don't work from home, you've probably heard of Zoom.
The videoconferencing app has become the standard for connecting with others face-to-face virtually in both business and personal settings.
Zoom is now the video communication platform of choice for federal governments, tech startups, religious communities, and of course regular people looking to chat — and even party — with their friends and family.
There is a free version of the app, but paid alternatives are also available. The free version allows you to have meetings of up to 40 minutes long for 3 or more callers (unlimited duration for 1-on-1 meetings). Paid users on the other hand can have group calls with up to 100 participants. To join a Zoom call, you do not need to have a Zoom account or download the app.
Before letting your child use ZOOM:
Get to know the safety settings beforehand. You could go through this with your child or set up a call with another adult to test out the different options and settings.
Be there to start the call and check the settings. If another parent is hosting the call, ask them to do so as well.
Remind your child to come to you straight away if they need help or are worried about anything online. Explain to them that they can end or leave a call if anything upsets them.
The child and device should be in earshot just in case. Allowing a child to use headphones might be more convenient if it is a noisy chat, but be aware that you might not know if something has gone wrong.
Update the Zoom app regularly. Even if you use the website it will often take you into the app. Zoom is regularly updating and altering their security settings, so it is best to have the latest version.
As with any form of online account, make sure that you use a strong and unique password.
Remain alert about fake Zoom apps, which can contain malicious files.
Be careful about how you share the link to your meeting. This will help prevent ‘Zoom Bombing’ (unwelcome or unknown participants attempting to access your meeting and potentially sharing harmful content).
Zoom has password protection for meetings set as default – again, be careful about how you share these meeting passwords.
Zoom also has ‘Waiting Room’ set as default – this means that the host has to approve each participant before they join the call. Make sure you know who it is requesting to attend your meeting.
When sharing your screen with other participants, be sure that what you are about to share is appropriate and that you are happy for it to be shared. You can also set it so that only the host can share their screen.
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