PrivacyAustralia.net Receives Six-Figure Grant to Help Australians Understand Cybersecurity and Online Privacy Issues

SYDNEY, Australia -- One of the leading online privacy and security resources for Australians, PrivacyAustralia.net, recently received a $120,000 grant from Valhalla Cybersecurity Consultants to elevate the level of understanding about the threats and risks involved in internet use. The grant was approved for 2019 and is renewable for up to three years.

PrivacyAustralia.net founder and security expert, Lucas Johnson, expects the majority of the funding to be used to host a mixture of online and live workshops, dates and times to be announced.

“Our goal is to offer workshops often enough that as many Australians as possible can attend over the next year,” Johnson said. “Obviously, we won’t reach everyone, but we’ll give it our best shot.”

To establish the level of need prior to seeking funding for the educational outreach, Johnson and his team surveyed 2,000 Australians with a group of five questions designed to assess the level of knowledge related to online security and privacy issues. The results were mixed but indicated some specific areas need improvement.

“One question caught my attention, related to the level of concern about online privacy today as compared to a year ago,” Johnson said. “By every measure I can find, privacy breaches, hacking attempts, and surveillance continue to increase substantially but around half of Australians are no more concerned this year than last. That sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. We should be worried and that should make us want to get educated.”

The workshops will be free. Though the agenda is yet to be finalized, Johnson promises an intensive cybersecurity education but one that is suitable for the layperson.

“If you can find your way onto the internet, you have enough technical skills to benefit greatly from one of these workshops,” Johnson said. Presenters will include Johnson, members of his team, as well as select other security experts.   

The complete results of the privacy survey are available for review.

About PrivacyAustralia.net

With a staff that has logged decades of combined experience in the cybersecurity and website development industries, PrivacyAustralia.net offers educational resources to help Australians stay safe online. Those interested in learning more about online security strategies should bookmark the website and check back often.

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