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National Information Security Day in Finland
The National Information Security Day is the primary project of the governmental Information Security Committee. Among the committee’s other important projects are “Information security program”, “Information network crime as an information security problem” and “Situation awareness of national information security risks”. Additional information on the committee and its projects can be found at http://www.mintc.fi/tietoturvastrategia. (in Finnish). |
The first National Information Security Day was held in Finland on 11 February 2004. The aim of the day was to ensure that operating system updates, up-to-date antivirus software and a firewall are incorporated into all Internet-connected computers. The day was a success: According to studies commissioned by Taloustutkimus and Statistics Finland, a significantly increasing number of home computers, in comparison to last fall, had both antivirus software and firewall.
National Information Security Day on 11 February 2004 – Content and costs in brief
A top-level seminar at the Parliament honoured the opening of the National Information Security Day of 2004. The Prime Minister was the keynote speaker.
On the National Information Security Day, over a million Finnish homes were delivered, together with the morning newspaper, a leaflet called “Joka kodin tietoturvaopas” (“Information security guide for homes”), which described, clearly, the basics of how to use the computer and the Internet safely. The guide was also delivered at the operators’ customer service desks.
The extended version of the guide was published at http://www.tietoturvaopas.fi (in Finnish). The online version is constantly updated and will also be used as material for the next year’s National Information Security Day.
On 11 February 2004, the major newspapers’ front pages had an ad whose picture made the readers
think about the seriousness of information security threats. For a week, Finland’s biggest commercial television channel ran an information security commercial based on the same pictorial material. In addition, the project participants arranged briefings on the National Information Security Day in large malls in the Helsinki metropolitan area. There were extensive public relations activities and the day was covered extensively by the media.
The expenses for the day rose to over EUR 450,000. The expenses were shared among the participating companies. Additional information is available online.
The National Information Security Day 2005 : Schoolchildren to use the Internet safely
The next National Information Security Day will be held on 8 February 2005 and will be aimed for schoolchildren, their teachers and parents in particular.
The purpose of the day is to ensure that schools focus on the safe use of the Internet and that information on information security is taken to the homes of schoolchildren. The Minister of Education is the protector of the day.
Online service to support information security teaching at schools
To support the preparation for the National Information Security Day, an online service will be opened in November to support teachers in teaching information security. The online service has separate sections for teachers and students. The students’ section is based on the abundance of opportunities Internet offers. The subsections based on age groups include a story that teaches about information security, suggests themes for further discussion and plenty of exercises. Since the online service is available in the open Internet, students may also familiarize themselves with it outside school time, for example together with their parents.
Events on the National Information Security Day and its key messages
On the National Information Security Day, an information security contest will be opened for all Finnish students in comprehensive schools to participate in.
The winners will be awarded at the end of the school year. At the events that day, schools are expected to emphasize the following key messages related to information security:
Protect your computer
Each Internet-connected computer must have an updated operating system, up-to-date anti-virus software and a firewall. Also, users should be careful about what material they download from the network into the own computer and remember to do regular backups of documents which are important to yourself.
Safeguard yourself
An individual’s data protection in the Internet cannot be taken for granted. It is worth considering where you submit your personal data and with whom you discuss in the Internet. Not all is nice or true in the Internet.
Follow the rules
Same laws are in force in the Internet as in normal life. A crime is a crime also in the information network. In addition to laws, good manners must be followed in the Internet.
The project participants of the National Information Security Day 2005- project
Elisa*, Finnet Group*, Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (Ficora), Finnish Federation for Communications and Teleinformatics (FiCom), Finnish Federation of Municipalities, Finnish Information Security Association, Finnish National Board of Education, Finnish Privacy Protection Agency, F-Secure*, Hewlett-Packard Finland*, HTV*, Microsoft Finland*, Ministry of Education*,
Ministry of Transport and Communications Finland*, Nokia, Nordea Bank Finland*, Save the Children Finland, Song Networks Finland*, TeliaSonera Finland*, The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare, TIEKE (Finnish Information Society Development Centre).
Total expenses in 2005: EUR 280,000.
The sum is divided between the participants marked with an asterisk.
Additional information:
- Ms. Kristiina Klemetti, Communications Manager, FiCom, tel. +358 9 6812 1015
- Ms. Anna Lauttamus-Kauppila, Communications Manager, FICORA, tel. +358 9 696 6404
- Ms. Sari Salmela, Project Coordinator, FICORA, tel. +358 9 6966 437
| Published: |
Tuesday, 8 Feb 2005 |
| Last changed: |
Monday, 14 Feb 2005 |
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