Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/782193
45 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 5 FEBRUARY 2017 Feature Government launches a national cyber awareness campaign over the next two years Government has launched a national cyber awareness campaign as one of the initial priority areas of the National Cyber Security Strategy. The campaign aims to address the online security interests of the citizens, the public sector and also the private sector, giv- ing particular attention to the SMEs which, as within the EU, consitute the majority of the Maltese economy. The awareness campaign was launched at MITA Data Centre by Minister Emma- nuel Mallia, in collaboration with the Steering Committee responsible for the implemen- tation of the National Cyber Security Strategy. The theme of the campaign is "Sigurtà Onlajn Ghalik" to reflect the personal effect that cyber se- curity has on people's day to day lives through the use of the various forms of ICT me- dia applied. In the next two years, Gov- ernment intends to make sure that there is a nation-wide understanding of what cyber security means and implies. In order to do so, the cam- paign will focus on the current realities of the various stake- holders of Maltese society and economy, so as to ensure that there is better protection and preparedness within cy- ber space. During the launch, reference was made to Malta's current Presidency of the Council of the European Union, where- by, through its chairing of the Council's working party on cyber issues, it is aiming to promote a strategic and consistent approach towards cyber awareness across all of the European Union, with particular focus on citizens and small to medium sized enterprises. Malta strongly believes that a single digital market across Europe cannot be attained without a stronger focus on security and trust among consumers and pro- viders alike. Minister Mallia praised Malta's performance in Infor- mation Technologies. None- theless, he explained that Malta must be on the alert and aware that there are still many citizens who are concerned about the security on social media, about hacking of their emails or else of getting ma- licious software installed on their techological devices. He explained that these con- cerns, together with possible negative experiences, can lead to a loss of trust in the use of online services. For this reason, Minister Mallia said that a number of measures need to be taken to ensure that Maltese citizens feel safe when using cyber space. The launch was also ad- dressed by the Ministry's Per- manent Secretary, Mr Antho- ny Gatt who is also Chairman of the National Cyber Security Strategy implementation. Mr Gatt explained that in the fol- lowing months the campaign will find the best means to raise awareness, while focus- ing on particular audiences. The campaign will also ensure that people are motivated to learn and to be alert to the various signals of fake com- munications on a day to day basis. The Permanent Secretary and Chairman of the Steering Committee, Anthony Gatt during the launch of the cyber security awareness campaign