Get ready for Safer Internet Day tomorrow

Tomorrow is Safer Internet Day, an event organised by the European Safer Internet network , aiming to make internet and mobile phone use safer.

Across the world, hundreds of events and celebrations highlighting the growing importance of internet safety will be held.

In the UK, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre in London will host a series of workshops, designed to educate children about how to have fun online without exposing themselves to potential risks.

The main event of the Safer Internet Day will be a worldwide 'blogathon', kicking off in Australia in the morning and progressing westward throughout the day. This year's theme is 'crossing borders' and more than 300 schools and organisations worldwide are expected to contribute to the blog.

One of the biggest concerns people have about the internet is in regard to banking and other financial matters online. An RSA Security survey out last week showed that the majority of the 1,700 consumers questioned (91 per cent) wanted their banks to use stronger online authentication technologies, and start monitoring online transactions for suspicious activity.

"As awareness of identity theft and online fraud grows, people want to feel reassured that they are in fact protected," said Christopher Young, general manager of RSA's consumer group. "While most consumers don't want to be burdened with security, they still would like to know they are secure, and as we can see, they are willing to embrace the technology."

Donal Casey, a security consultant with Morse , said the banking industry should follow Alliance and Leicester , and Lloyds TSB banks and offer customers two-factor authentication.

"This will help to prove customer identity and reassure customers that they are logging into the bank's genuine online banking website - addressing two of the biggest security concerns of both banks and customers alike," said Casey.

"Only by taking such steps, can banks hope to eradicate misconceptions and beat cybercrime," Casey added.

For a reminder on how to best protect yourself on the internet, have a look at our feature on how to stay safe online .