Potsdam (ots) – “Protecting personal data from unauthorized use on the Internet must become a daily routine like brushing your teeth.” This is what Johannes Klemm, a student at the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI), wants to achieve. That’s why the 25-year-old is starting a free, open online course on March 6th with an exciting role reversal: participants take on the perspective of attackers in playful exercises in order to understand how criminals exploit devastating errors in securing sensitive data on the Internet. The two-week compact course for anyone interested is entitled “Digital Privacy: How do I protect my personal data online?”. You can register on the institute’s open learning platform at
Master’s student Klemm hopes that thousands will take part and thus provide the cybersecurity researchers at the Potsdam Institute with valuable insights into the population’s current awareness of the problem. “We want to find out how much Internet users already know about privacy protection and how they actually apply this knowledge,” says Klemm. This should help to make information about risks even more effective in the future.
“Many people share more online than they actually want to!”
With the free course, HPI wants to provide a comprehensive overview of the challenges in dealing with sensitive, personally identifiable information in the digital world. “The participants learn to develop a critical eye for what is stored, how and where when they surf the Internet day after day,” says the course leader. Many people unconsciously share more than they actually wanted to, for example when they use their dog’s name as a password and buy an engraved collar for their four-legged friend from an online shop without hesitation.
Klemm also wants to present the most important practical protective measures that can ensure that only what you think is right is done with your own data. “We also show what those affected can do if their private data becomes public – for example through a leak,” adds Klemm. His promise: After completing the course, participants should be aware of all the risks of careless handling of personally identifiable information and be able to handle their personal data safely.
Background to the openHPI educational platform
is Europe’s pioneer among open learning platforms that are accessible to anyone interested. The Hasso Plattner Institute launched its free online courses on information technology and innovation topics on September 5, 2012. A good 1.3 million course registrations have now been registered on openHPI – both from IT beginners and from experts in digital transformation. Around 356,000 people from 180 countries are currently part of the regular user group of these Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) on the platform. He grows every day. To date, the institute has issued almost 146,000 certificates for particularly successful participants. The 100 or so courses offered so far are still available free of charge in archive mode.
Questions & Contact:
presse@hpi.de
Leon Stebe, Tel. 0331 5509-471, leon.stebe@hpi.de and
and Joana Bußmann, Tel. 0331 5509-375, joana.bussmann@hpi.de
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