The company also launched the Digital Citizenship Index
Microsoft launched the virtual campaign: “For a Better Internet”, which seeks to encourage people to embrace digital citizenship and treat each individual online with respect and dignity. The campaign disseminates simple principles, but new research from Microsoft, the Digital Citizenship Index, shows that inappropriate behavior in the online environment is raising concerns about the tone of interactions and also about the growth of risks in the future, reinforcing the need for people to and companies act in favor of a better internet.
Formulated based on this research, the campaign seeks to disseminate some behaviors that can make the internet a safer and more diverse place for everyone and uses the hashtags #CidadaniaDigital and #InternetMelhor.
The campaign principles are:
1- Treat others as you would like to be treated
Act with empathy, compassion and kindness in every interaction and treat everyone with dignity and respect.
2- Respect the differences
Understand different perspectives and avoid personal offenses and attacks.
3- Think before answering
Do not post or send anything that could offend another person, damage reputations or threaten the safety of others.
4- Protect yourself and others
Support victims of online abuse by reporting activities that threaten anyone's safety and preserving evidence of inappropriate or unsafe behavior.
“We can eradicate most of the cruelty, bullying, and humiliation that happens online if every observer chooses to speak up,” says Sean Kosofsky, executive director of the Tyler Clementi Foundation. “We can stop the harassment, report it and reach out to those affected.”
The Digital Citizenship Index
The Microsoft Index is based on research that examined people's attitudes and perceptions of online behaviors and interactions and was conducted in June 2016 with teens (ages 13-17) and adults (ages 18-74) in 14 countries – from Latin America Brazil, Chile and Mexico participated. Questions were asked such as "What online risks have you and those close to you been experiencing, when and how often did the risks occur, and what consequences and actions were taken?" — and measured participants' exposure to 17 online risks across four areas: behavioral, reputational, sexual, and personal/intrusive.
The Microsoft Digital Citizenship Index reveals that people encountered an average of 2.2 online security risks among the 17 survey respondents. The top 5 risks detected were: 1) unwanted contact, 2) being treated meanly, 3) “Trolling”, 4) receiving unwanted sexual messages, and 5) online harassment.
See the main data from the research carried out in Brazil and also the findings at a global level:
• 71% of Brazilians said they had been exposed to at least one risk online in the past
• Most of the 17 online risks listed worldwide were above the international average in Brazil
• Trolling (23%) and Online Harassment (22%) were the top behavioral risks, both slightly higher than the international average
• 67% of Brazilians reported a consequence after being exposed to an online risk
• The virtual risks that generate the greatest concern among Brazilians are: Doxxing (a form of blackmail or destruction of the reputation of people online), 59%, Damage to personal reputation (54%) and Discrimination (53%)
• 50% of global respondents reported being "extremely or very" concerned about online life in general
• Respondents ranked the main consequences of negative online interactions in the real world as "loss of trust in others online and offline, increased stress and sleep deprivation"
• 62% said they don't know or are unsure how to get help if they encounter an online risk
Countries that recorded the lowest scores and therefore the highest levels of digital civility) were the United Kingdom (45), Australia (51) and the United States (55). At the other end, with the worst results, are South Africa (78), Mexico (76) and Russia (74). The new index is based on the Microsoft Computer Security Index, released from 2010 to 2013, primarily on the behavioral component of the index.
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