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Ask HN: How do I make sure my non-technical parents are safe online?

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Re: Ask HN: How do I make sure my non-technical parents are safe online?

#161

Post by mcv »

jakecopp wrote: post #147
wittedhaddock wrote: post #58

I work for a phone company, Community Phone, whose majority customers are seniors. We periodically check in with our customers over text message (helping make sure they achieve their goals, like using Uber, or whatever... which is our business: to enable an improvement in overall quality of life via phones, rather than phones in themselves). As a result, many of our customers FB message/call/email/text us as a sanity…

I've never imagined a phone company that aims to improve overall quality of life using phones, rather than just providing mobile service, fascinating to think about. Are customers able to opt out of additional support and if so do any choose to?

I imagine it's not the cheapest phone company due to the additional service, so if you're not using it, you might be wasting money.

In any case, I think it's good that there are phone companies that compete on quality service rather than price, and specialised service for a specific demographic makes a lot of sense.

Re: Ask HN: How do I make sure my non-technical parents are safe online?

#162

Post by marcolussetti »

xhrpost wrote: post #134

This just almost happened to me and my family. My parents are pushing 70 but still try to keep up with things. My father decides he wants to call PayPal regarding a return request from eBay. I'm in the room and "PayPal" tells him they need to go to a secure line and he needs to download an app. That's really strange I think, but generally scams are from phone calls to you, not you making the call. So I remain skeptic…

I think installing an AdBlocker is one of the first things I do when asked to help someone. While I understand and regret the impact on people's business models, it seems to really mitigate issues for those less tech-savy (anecdotally that is). Something like uBlock Origin or the like might be a good idea to avoid this issue.

Re: Ask HN: How do I make sure my non-technical parents are safe online?

#163

Post by ahje »

xhrpost wrote: post #134

This just almost happened to me and my family. My parents are pushing 70 but still try to keep up with things. My father decides he wants to call PayPal regarding a return request from eBay. I'm in the room and "PayPal" tells him they need to go to a secure line and he needs to download an app. That's really strange I think, but generally scams are from phone calls to you, not you making the call. So I remain skeptic…

We've installed an ad-blocker and PrivacyBadger, and have remove administrative privileges for most older members of the family. All have been instructed in how to disable those two add-ons when there's a need for it.

So far, there's been no major incidents, as the ad-blocker filters out most of the crap on-line, and the lack of administrative privileges prevent the less knowable users from doing something dangerous.

Re: Ask HN: How do I make sure my non-technical parents are safe online?

#164

Post by system2 »

djhworld wrote: post #47

I'm really surprised at the replies in this thread, some are almost patronising. Parents might be old, but they're not dumb. People underestimate older people. Obviously there are some vulnerable adults that need a helping hand, I get that, but try just talking and teaching, it works wonders. The key is patience really.

For the most elderly, tech is dark magic. They simply don't want to understand and reject the idea of using it. If they are forced to use it to survive in this modern world, they really need to have the protection of our generation. It is sad but true. We all have parents, we all want them to understand but they simply don't want to.

Re: Ask HN: How do I make sure my non-technical parents are safe online?

#167

Post by creato »

shambolicfroli wrote: post #35
sent00001 wrote: post #2

Phishing is a big problem for non-technical users. Google's Phishing Quiz ( https://phishingquiz.withgoogle.com ) is a surprisingly good resource.

Is there a good simple way that someone nontechnical could become confident that withgoogle.com is a trustworthy domain?

I think an important part of being secure online is knowing when to be careful. This site doesn't ask for any real information, so it doesn't really matter that much if withgoogle.com is a trustworthy domain or not.

I think it would have been better if this quiz made up a name and e-mail for the user instead of asking for one though.

Re: Ask HN: How do I make sure my non-technical parents are safe online?

#168

Post by jypepin »

Lots of good advice in here, and on point I'd like to add is.. that's not only for older people. The question mentions parents and most answers reply to that - don't forget that HN people are good at tech not because we are younger, but because we are interested by it.

My wife, despite being a designer working in tech, would be as easily tricked as an older person new to the internet. So keep that in mind and think about safety for everyone, not only elder people.

Re: Ask HN: How do I make sure my non-technical parents are safe online?

#170

Post by rmtech »

bubblewrap wrote: post #77
shambolicfroli wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there a good simple way that someone nontechnical could become confident that withgoogle.com is a trustworthy domain?

I am technical and I am not sure how to become confident that withgoogle.com is a trustworthy domain. I guess I would look for official links from Google.com to it. But why bother?

It's not necessary to confirm that withgoogle is a real Google domain because the page isn't asking for any information.

Of course it could have drive-by malware on it... but so could any link

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