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iPOD GENERATION OUTSMARTED BY SILVER SURFERS ONLINE
YOUNG Britons are the
least aware of their security when shopping online, according to a
new study by CPP, a leading life assistance company. While young
people, also known as the ‘iPod generation’ are believed to
be the most web-aware, CPP research has found that ‘Silver
Surfers’, are far more ‘web savvy’ when it comes to
protecting themselves online.
Whilst a whopping 80% of Brits aged between 45 and 54 simply refuse
make purchases online if there are no markings on a website to prove
its security, it’s only 68% of iPod Generation, youngsters aged
between 16 and 24, who are bothered. Funnily enough it appears
that more than 80%, of the ‘iPod Generation’, who continue to
leave themselves exposed to online card fraud, become the most
frustrated and annoyed by the inconvenience caused when they find
out they have become victims.
The survey, conducted by The CPP Group Plc (CPP) amongst 2,490
people researched people’s online shopping and security habits.
The survey showed that 13% of Manchester residents have become
victims of online fraud and with a whopping £58,400, spent online in
a lifetime, shopper’s both young and old need to be a lot more
vigilant. The most popular websites where shoppers found
themselves victims of card fraud include popular auction site, eBay.
37% of people were not sure how they were defrauded but a
significant number experienced fraudulent payment from their Paypal
account.
Danny Harrison, an identity theft expert at CPP says:- “Using
your card online can quite easily be a way for you to become a
victim of card fraud. It’s surprising that young people are the
one’s who take most risks online, where you might assume that they
would be much more ‘web aware’, than the internet’s older
users.”
Young people are advised by Harrison to check web pages are secure.
“It’s really easy to do. Just look for the padlock in the
right hand corner or your web page - this means it’s a secure web
page. Also look out for the HTTPS, at the beginning of the web
address as this also means your card details will be protected.”
CPP has listed other top tips for protecting yourself from online
card fraud:- · Only use a secure web browser and keep it set to the highest
security
· Install the latest online web security software on your computer
· Avoid carrying out transactions on public or shared computers
· When making an online shopping transaction, make sure the padlock
appears on the web page guaranteeing your details are kept secure
· Avoid sites that sore your personal details
· If in doubt of a websites authenticity don’t use it and never
respond to e-mails asking for your personal or bank details
Ensuring web page security is quick and easy, taking a second to
look for the lock could save you a lot. |
More women become active in trade unions...
THE profile of
women in the UK’s biggest trade unions is on the up, according to a
new survey by Labour Research magazine, but progress towards full
representation is proving slow and patchy. Every 2 years,
Labour Research surveys the UK’s 10 biggest TUC-affiliated unions to
find out how well their women members are represented in their
decision-making structures and among their regional and national
officials.
This year’s survey
reveals some obvious improvements. 2 of the top 10 unions (1 more
than in 2006) now have female general secretaries; union delegations
to TUC Congress are becoming less male-dominated; and more unions
are achieving a gender balance among their national officials.
When Chris Keates was elected general secretary of teachers’ union
the NASUWT in 2004, she became the 1st woman to ever lead a top 10
union. She has since been joined by Dr Mary Bousted of the ATL
teaching union, which became the 10th-largest TUC-affiliated union
last year following the merger of Amicus and the T&G to form the new
union Unite.
Women are also featuring more prominently in the delegations sent by
unions to the UK’s biggest union event, TUC Congress. In 2005, only
the GMB, T&G and Amicus general unions had delegations whose make-up
reflected the gender balance of their overall membership – but last
year the CWU communication workers’ union and PCS civil service
union also achieved proportionality for their women members. 8 of
the top 10 unions increased the proportion of women in their TUC
delegations between 2005 and 2007.
There has also been
an increase in the number of unions whose female membership is
reflected or exceeded in the number of their female full-time
national negotiating officers, from one (retail union USDAW) in
2006 to 3 (USDAW, the CWU and the T&G section of Unite) this year.
However, in some
areas the level of female representation has changed for the worse.
5 of the top 10 unions have reported a decrease in the number of
women on their national executives, and only the T&G section of
Unite currently has an executive that is “at least as female”
as its overall membership. (In 2006, 3 of the top 10 unions,
Amicus, USDAW and the CWU, achieved this.)
Furthermore, none of
the top 10 unions has yet attained gender proportionality among its
full-time regional officials, although public services union UNISON,
USDAW and the NUT teaching union have all managed to increase the
proportion of their regional officers who are women. In contrast,
the proportion of female officials has fallen at regional level in
the CWU, PCS and NASUWT unions, and at national level in UNISON, the
GMB and PCS.
“The results of our survey are really encouraging, but they
highlight areas where unions need to make improvements. It is
disappointing to see that women’s representation has dropped in
certain areas such as on some unions’ national executives, but
overall there is clear progress compared to our 2006 survey.” said Labour Research editor Nathalie Towner. |
