Social networking enables billions of people worldwide to stay in touch with their friends, share experiences and photographs and exchange personal content. In many ways it has replaced the telephone and email. For many users, it has become a way of life.

Instant messaging (IM) allows you to ‘chat’ in real time over the internet in a similar way to mobile phone text messages, but with many systems now also enabling voice and video calls. Some of the best-known dedicated messaging platforms are WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal and Wickr. Instant messaging is also available as a function of many […]

Watching your favourite band, team or comic from the comfort of your armchair is great, but it’s nothing like being there live, on the day. Tickets to big entertainment and sporting events sell out very quickly, which is very disappointing when you’ve really been looking forward to the big day. This can make it very […]

Online gambling has seen a massive increase in popularity in recent years, and gamblers have a huge choice of sites and apps to choose from. Some offer only specific types of gambling (such as bingo, poker or betting), whilst others offer users a wider choice.

Using the internet to make payments to utility, phone, credit card, insurance and other companies saves considerable time and effort. It is also a simple and convenient way to contribute to charity either directly or sponsoring participants in money-raising activities. There are, however, risks associated with online payments and you need to take care when […]

Using the internet to purchase goods or services saves considerable time and effort – and also presents you with the widest choice. There are, however, risks associated with online shopping and you need to take care with what you are buying, from whom, and how you pay for your purchases.  

Online auction sites are a highly popular way of buying and selling both new and second hand goods. There are, however, risks associated with using auction sites – some of which are different from normal online shopping.  Therefore you need to take care with what you are buying and from whom, who you are selling […]

Banking online is very convenient but you must protect your password and personal details to prevent criminals from accessing your account in your name.

When using the internet to research or book your holiday or other travel arrangements, the world is literally at your fingertips. However, there are risks associated with doing so – some specific to holiday and travel booking and some which are in common with other types of online purchases.

Smartphones and tablets that you no longer need should be disposed of with great care. The data on your device can easily be accessed whether you sell, scrap, give away or donate it, and even ‘deleted’ data can be retrieved with relative ease by criminals.