Official website of the Department of Homeland Security
- Can I Be a Friend?
- Sign up to Become a Friend
- Just One Initiative
- With a Little Help from Friends
- An Example of Friends at Work
- Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign Tools & Resources
- Friends Success Stories & Feedback
While the government is taking steps to keep our cyber community safe, the government alone cannot solve the problem. Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility.
The Stop.Think.Connect. Friends Program is an opportunity for YOU to help us spread the word about what we can all do to enhance our safety and security online. The online world is vast, and in order to protect our nation’s cyberspace, we need your help to reach as many Americans as possible—and provide them with information and tools to help raise awareness about cybersecurity and simple, easy-to-understand steps for improving their personal safety and security online.
That’s where being a Friend of the Campaign can really help.
Can I Be a Friend?
If you are ready to help us educate and empower the American public to take steps to protect themselves and their families online, you’ve come to the right place.
All Friends must have one thing in common: A Commitment To Educating The Public About The Importance of Online Safety.
Beyond that, we want to bring together many Campaign Friends representing all walks of life. The nature of our cybersecurity challenges demands broad engagement from a diverse group of individuals and organizations, including (but not limited to):
- Students (High School and College)
- Parents
- Teachers
- Community Leaders
- Law Enforcement Officers
- Youth Mentors
- Small Business Owners
- Professionals with Cyber-Related Experience
- Schools
- National and Local Businesses
- Non-Profit/Community-Based Organizations/Associations
- The Media
Sign up to Become a Friend
Interested in becoming a Friend of the Campaign? Sign up now by entering your email address and zip code. It's free. Once you have signed up, the Campaign urges you to get involved and check out our With a Little Help from Friends and Resources for Friends: Stop.Think.Connect. Online Toolkit where you will find a list for the types of outreach and activities we are looking to our Friends to help as well as great free resources from the Stop.Think.Connect. Online Toolkit.
Just One Initiative
The Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign is pleased to announce the launch of its Just One Initiative. The Just One Initiative is designed to build upon the successes of the thousands of you who have joined the Campaign as Friends since its launch in October 2010. As a result of your diligent efforts over the past eight months, the Campaign has been able to promote and raise awareness across the country about cybersecurity and safe online habits that will not only help protect you and your family, but also the national and economic security interests of our nation.
Today, the Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign is asking you to enlist just one additional individual to join our Campaign as a Friend. When recruiting individuals, please explain that there is no better way to contribute to our shared responsibility to secure cyberspace than by spreading the Stop.Think.Connect. message to your colleagues, friends, and family as a Friend of the Campaign.
With a Little Help from Friends
Okay, so now that we’ve got you thinking about how you can become involved, below are a few examples of the types of outreach and activities we are looking to our Friends for help with:
- Distributing Campaign materials
- Leading or hosting a cyber awareness activity
- Discussing with your friends and family the importance of cybersecurity
- Informing your community about the Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign and the resources available
- Blogging about the issue of cybersecurity including promoting the Campaign resources available (Check out our Blog posts)
- Getting schools and community organizations involved and informed on the issue and taking action on creating solutions
An Example of Friends at Work
On Monday, February 14, the Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign along with other attendees of the RSA Conference in San Francisco volunteered at the Gardner Bullis School in Los Altos Hills, California. The Volunteers utilized the C-SAVE program to teach some of the kids how to stay safe online. For video of the volunteers and the parents’ forum on the evening of February 14 visit:
Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign Tools & Resources
We appreciate your help in spreading the word about cybersecurity. To assist you with this mission, we are providing you with lots of great free resources to choose from.
Stop.Think.Connect. Online Toolkit
The Stop.Think.Connect. Online Toolkit is a one-stop shop, Campaign resource all in one box! This toolkit contains downloadable materials and links to other resources you can use to give informal presentations to a variety of audiences or groups.
Download and print your free Stop.Think.Connect. Online Toolkit today.
Public Service Announcements
Use the three winning Public Service Announcements (PSAs) when giving presentations to demonstrate the importance of cybersecurity.
Friends Success Stories & Feedback
We want to hear about all of the great things our Friends of the Campaign are doing in the field to help others in their communities be safer and more secure online. Please share your experiences, ideas and successes with us so we can build upon your experiences and share the Campaign’s successes with others across the country.
Have a success story or a question about the Friends Program? Contact the Campaign at stopthinkconnect@dhs.gov.