The RMIT Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation celebrated Safer Internet Day 2024 by launching their new freemium short course - Security by Design - which was jointly created with RMIT Digital3 and the eSafety Commissioner.

The 'Safety by Design' course will help online startups, tech companies and students of tech to prevent their platforms and services from being unintentionally weaponised to carry out abuse.

Director of the RMIT University Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation, Professor Matthew Warren, said the course was designed for a global audience of engineers, computer scientists, lawyers, ethicists, developers, designers and educators working or studying in the technology space.

Throughout this course, learners will come to understand user safety as a fundamental design consideration for the online world. They’ll also learn that building safety in, as opposed to adding it on later, is not only better for people, but also better for business.

By launching this course, RMIT hope to facilitate more conversations about the importance of online safety, instil these principles within the marketplace, and pave the way for a more inclusive, diverse and vibrant online world.

“Safer online environments are important for everyone in Australia, as well as overseas, and this course will support a range of technical designers, educators and professionals to develop products and services that are safer.” 

Professor Matthew Warren

Making online spaces safer

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the course would enable small or emerging tech players and students to apply Safety by Design across the service and product lifecycle, helping them to meet the expectations of an increasingly discerning and critical user base.

“People everywhere are clamouring for the tech industry to proactively safeguard their products and services from being exploited or weaponised. In Australia, for example, 82 per cent of adults have told us that tech companies have a responsibility for their online safety,” Grant said.

“In collaboration with RMIT University, we’re supporting the current and next wave of online innovators and start-ups to sharpen their competitive edge by helping them to give customers what they want: safer, more positive online experiences.”

Safety by Design - Future Learn

Safety by Design is a Massive Online Open Course developed by RMIT University’s Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation, RMIT’s Digital3 and Australia’s eSafety Commissioner.

It is moderated by an RMIT academic with in-depth cyber safety and cyber security experience.

The 12-hour course is freely available on the RMIT FutureLearn platform. For learners who complete the course, a certificate of achievement is available.

FutureLearn courses are created by experts from leading universities and organisations. Every course is broken into steps, allowing learners to fit it easily around their schedule - learning can happen anytime, anywhere. Courses are also built around social learning pedagogy: the belief that we learn better together. The result is truly collaborative online social learning where employees don’t just learn from experts, they can learn from each other.

Tuesday 6th February 2024 marks Safer Internet Day. This worldwide initiative brings together communities, families, schools and organisations to help create safer online spaces.

Safer Internet Day is a global initiative to raise awareness of online safety issues. The eSafety Commissioner leads the initiative in Australia. They educate people about online safety risks, like online abuse, how to be safe online and where to go for help.

This Safer Internet Day we're encouraging everyone to take three simple actions when approaching online safety: Connect. Reflect. Protect.  

Connect safely by keeping apps and devices secure and reviewing your privacy settings regularly. 

Reflect on how your actions online may affect others or your safety. 

Protect yourself and others by visiting eSafety.gov.au to find out how to stay safe online and report online abuse.

By doing these things and sharing the Connect. Reflect. Protect message, we can work towards making every day a Safer Internet Day. 

2024 Safer Internet Day - Safety by Design @ RMIT

• Matt Warren - Director of the RMIT University Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation (CCSRI) and a Professor of Cyber Security at RMIT University (Top left)
• Nicola Henry - Professor and Australian Research Council Future Fellow in the Social and Global Studies Centre at the RMIT University. (Top right)
• Arathi Arakala - Lecturer of Cybersecurity with the Discipline of Mathematics, RMIT University  (Bottom left)
• Andrew Hine - Founder, CEO and CTO Reputationaire (Bottom right)