The Cybersmile Foundation has launched a new awareness campaign entitled ‘Sharezees’ to discourage teens from sharing their passwords and PIN codes with each other.
The initiative – supported by fashion brand Urban Outfitters – intends to highlight that the habit of sharing passwords can have devastating consequences.
Working with advertising agency adam&eveDDB, Cybersmile has devised a campaign that drives home a ‘fun but important’ message centred around the idea that friendship does not need to entail the sharing of personal information.
In the accompanying spot, Izzie Rodgers and Cybersmile ambassador Amazing Arabella are seen modeling limited edition collections of Urban Outfitters x Cybersmile clothes that are ‘perfect for good friends to share’ – but with the message: ‘Share anything but your password’.
“Password and PIN code sharing can lead to personal accounts being accessed without permission and private information being exposed publicly – leading to blackmail, sextortion, financial fraud, reputation damage and other harmful outcomes that can affect education or employment prospects later in life,” the foundation said.
The popularisation of social media and streaming services has reportedly led to password sharing becoming normalised in recent years.
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“We recognise the very real instinct to want to share parts of yourself with those close to you and to mark a deepening relationship with milestones,” The Cybersmile Foundation co-founder, Dan Raisbeck, said.
“However, once someone shares their password or PIN, their lives can be deeply affected for many years to come. We generally see people respecting the importance of password privacy more as they get older and our hope is that this campaign can help young people think about this issue sooner.”
Around 800 people a year use Cybersmiles help and support services for issues related to sharing passwords. The institution believes that creating complex passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication and responding to device password requests, are some of the few imperative ways people can reduce the risk of password problems.
Adam&eveDDB creative director Molly Wilkof added: “With the guidance from Cybersmile and generous support of Urban Outfitters, we’ve been able to show the fun side of sharing your life while making a serious point.
“Many teenagers are figuring out who they are and where healthy boundaries lie – we all share intimate stuff when we get close to people, but some things are off limits and even a little weird. It’s time to raise awareness of the impact that sharing passwords can have.”
