This is the first of a three-part series on online safety for senior citizens. The first topic focuses on internet safety basics, emphasizing the importance of acquiring foundational knowledge to navigate the internet securely. By breaking down key concepts like URLs, HTTPS and identifying potential threats, we want to empower seniors with the tools they need to protect themselves in an increasingly digital world.
Earlier in March, this author had the privilege of leading a technology session for a group of senior citizens, an audience I have worked with over the years. A portion of this event focused on online safety and security designed to empower the senior population to navigate the internet with confidence and security. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, older adults become frequent targets for online scams and cyber threats. I sought to address those vulnerabilities by providing “starter” knowledge and using simple analogies.
While there is a plethora of intermediate to advanced information related to online security for this demographic, my goal was to engage audience awareness and provide them with clear language to add to their arsenal of knowledge as they navigate online.
Internet basics
The importance of mastering internet basics cannot be overstated. Just as a house requires a stable foundation to be safely and effectively built upon, so too does a solid understanding of internet fundamentals. Building on this foundation allows individuals to confidently move on to more complex aspects of internet security. The objective of the technology session was not solely introducing basic terms, but to foster a mindset of proactive learning as an approach that is essential with looming online threats.
One of the key areas of focus was understanding what a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is and how it functions. For seniors unfamiliar with the term, I used the analogy of a home address. The internet is like a city, and every website is a home. To get to a specific house, you need the correct address, which is the URL. Each component of the URL plays a distinct role, such as the protocol (https://), the domain name (e.g., http://www.businessinsider.com) and the path to a specific page on the site.
For instance, when navigating to a specific section of a site, the URL includes a path followed by the webpage’s location, which is similar to following a house’s address to reach a particular room. You can arm yourself with knowledge to learn anything online and that is why developing a foundation on internet basics is needed for the young-at-heart.
What is a URL?
We also discussed the significance of HTTPS, an essential feature of secure websites. A Business Insider article describes the internet tool called a URL that is needed to navigate to a web address and breaks down the URL components: Protocol, domain, path and webpage. For the young-at-heart, the analogy of relating a house address to a website address proved to be helpful.
To get to someone’s home, you need to follow the correct path, such as driving on the road, which represents the protocol (a set of rules for staying on the road, not the sidewalks). Every webpage has a main address, known as the domain, similar to the main address of someone’s home. Once you arrive at the domain, the path comes next, indicated by a forward slash, helping you get to your desired location.
For example, if you want to navigate to the vision and mission section of a webpage, that specific part will appear after the path. In this analogy, driving on the road (the protocol) takes you to the house address (the domain), then the path (the forward slash) directs you inside, where you can reach your destination, like the dining room or kitchen for a meal (the webpage or specific location). Every house has an address; every website has an address. Here is a breakdown of the following URLs components:
https://www.businessinsider.com/travel
Protocol = https://
Domain = http://www.businessinsider.com
/ = path
travel (any writing after the slash) = exact part of the webpage
Elsewhere on the internet, I have seen the URLs path combine the forward slash and webpage (exact location) into one component which simplifies the explanation of a URL. For the sake of the young-at-heart population at the technology session, I chose this method of combining the forward slash and the exact location into one definition of the path while briefly explaining the forward slash can also stand alone as the path component in the URL.
Http vs https in the URL
As we live in the age of technology, I wanted to empower the senior citizens with more internet safety knowledge to be protected online and to learn how secure websites can help. The letter “s” included in the protocol is important as we live in the digital age. The “s” stands for “secure” and means that particular site is secure with an encrypted connection before transferring data around the website. When conducting banking and ordering items online, you want to protect your personal information by ensuring websites you visit are secure with the letter “s” written in the protocol (i.e., https://businessinsider.com).
Understanding this is one way to find, evaluate and use information in digital settings, such as learning about online safety and security, which is digital literacy. Another visual of a secure site is finding a padlock and a statement about the internet connection being secure. To the left of the URL, click on the small circle followed by a small line or dash, which is repeated below the first circle and dash. If you see the padlock and a secure message, that shows you the site is secure.
URL manipulations
I also shared another way to be protected when navigating the internet. Check for misspellings and slightly changed letters in the URL. As a refresher, the letter “o” is shorter and rounder. A zero is taller and oval. Scammers and hackers often use subtle tricks, such as replacing the letter “o” with a zero that is taller and oval, as opposed to the shorter and rounder letter “o” in the URL, to create a fraudulent website that looks almost identical to the legitimate one. Amazon’s URL is https://www.amazon.com, but the letter “o” in the company name could be changed to a zero to read as ‘amaz0n’ instead of the correct way as ‘amazon.’ If a URL word(s) looks familiar, it can be easy to get tripped up here if we are not careful.
I demonstrated this by modifying Amazon’s URL, showing the audience how these small changes can lead to an insecure or malicious website. I replaced the letter “o” with a zero followed by clicking to the left of the web address to see if the website was still secure. It was no longer secure since the padlock was missing and the security statement was replaced with a nonsecure statement. When you see this nonsecure statement and there is no padlock, do not continue; go back to the previous webpage.
The technology event concluded with a reminder that while online threats are real, awareness and education are powerful tools in defense. By taking small steps to familiarize themselves with internet basics and adapting to cautious habits, senior citizens can significantly reduce their risk of falling victim to cybercrime.
The technology session for senior citizens was an important step in empowering them to protect themselves online by understanding the basics of internet navigation and identifying secure websites. As I continue this series, future sessions will cover specific threats like phishing and email safety, as well as provide practical smartphone tips.
Knowledge is a wise defense against cyber threats, and by building on this foundation, the young-at-heart can feel more confident and secure as they engage in a digital landscape.
Featured image by Divya Gupta from Pixabay
Edited by James Sutton
