Stop.Think.Connect is a national awareness campaign of awareness with the objective of increasing the level of knowledge of cyber-crimes and encourage the public to be more secure and responsible in the cyber world.

Whether you send text messages, play games, share photos and videos, update your status or leave your comments on a social network, you are likely to spend some time in a virtual world. Being on the internet — connected through some kind of device — is part of your daily life. And as you spend more time connected, it can be easy to share too much information, expose yourself to situations that embarrass you, damage your computer and receive messages from rare people.

The truth is that socializing, playing and communicating online are activities that involve some inherent risks. Even if your fingers travel at high speed through the keyboard of your computer, phone or tablet, the best tool to avoid the risks when you’re online is your brain.  When you are ready to upload a photo or send a message or money, before downloading a file, game or program, or when you are about to go shopping on the internet, stop for a second and think about the following:

1. Do you know and trust the person you are dealing with – or what you are sharing or downloading?
2. How will you feel if your information ends in a place you did not intend?

You can protect yourself if you start by asking yourself a few questions, and at the same time you can protect your friends and your computer. Whatever you do while on the internet can have real-life consequences.  Stop and think before you click.

AlertaenLinea.gov is the federal government’s website to help you protect yourself and to act in a safe and responsible manner online.