JULY 28, 2023 DIGITAL LITERACY GROUNDCOVER NEWS 5 GET TO KNOW YDL! WHERE TO FIND US: Online at ypsilibrary.org Call us at 734-482-4110. WASHTENAW LITERACY Q: How can I tell if information I find online is accurate? A: The internet is absolutely filled with information, with millions of websites, articles, posts, and forums providing details and opinions about every subject imaginable. Wading through the google search results for any topic can leave you feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes you might even find two different sources online that contradict each other. When trying to get reliable information from the internet, it is really important to be able to tell which sources are credible, and which sources shouldn’t be trusted. One easy trick to help tell if a website is a reliable source of information is to look at the domain name of the website. If the website’s address ends in “.gov” or “.edu” there is a very high likelihood that the information found there is truthful. For a website address to end in “.gov” it has to be affiliated with a branch of the U.S. government at the federal, state, or local level. For a website to end in “.edu” it must be affiliated with a higher education institution. Because of the restrictions on their use, websites with these addresses are much more likely to contain accurate information. Another strategy you can use when sifting through the results of an internet search is to pay attention to the publisher, the author, and any sources that are referenced. If you are not familiar with the organization or website that is posting information, you should be more careful about trusting it. If the author of an article or website is someone reputable, such as a credentialed scientist or journalist, that is a good sign. If an article or website links to other sources that can also be a positive indicator of its trustworthiness. Even in those cases, it can still be a good idea to verify what you find by looking at other websites and sources of information. Try using additional internet searches to find out more about the publisher, author and claims made by online sources. It's important to keep in mind that sources can contain accurate information and still be biased. All the information contained in an article or website can be true, but other important information could be left out. This is another reason why it can be helpful to do additional research about your sources themselves. Looking at multiple sources that cover the same topic is one of the best ways to get the full scope of available information. It may go without saying, but you should be especially careful about information found on websites that have a clear agenda or that want to sell you something. Be aware that online advertisers often dress up their content to look like news articles. The top few results under Google searches are often there because businesses have paid for them to show up. Thankfully, google labels these results as “sponsored”. Avoiding sponsored content can help you find more reliable sources of information. Q: I’ve received an email telling me that several people who I went to high school with are trying to get in touch with me. I’m not sure if this is a scam or not. How can I tell if the emails I get are legitimate? A: Spam and scam emails have been around since the early years of the internet, and they remain a huge problem for email users today. Although most email services provide some form of automatic filtering, directing suspicious emails away from your inbox and into a special “spam” folder, it is always possible that some unwanted and/or nefarious emails will get through. Falling for a scam email can lead to hacked accounts, stolen money, and identity theft. To avoid those disastrous outcomes, it's crucial to remain vigilant when going through your inbox. Let's consider the suspicious email that you received, which claimed that several people from your old high school were trying to contact you. Since you are not sure if it is a scam email or not, my first piece of advice would be to avoid opening it or clicking on any links that it contains. Scam emails can’t hurt you if you never open them. If you have any suspicion that something might be a scam, it's usually best to err on the side of caution. That being said, sometimes you want to be really sure. If your former highschool classmates really are trying to get in touch, you wouldn’t want to leave them hanging. A good first step is to think about why you’re suspicious that the email might be a scam email in the first place. Ask yourself if you did anything recently that would prompt your old classmates to reach out to you. Unexpected or unsolicited emails are more likely to be scams. If you recently signed up for a mailing list at a class reunion, there is a greater chance that the email is authentic. Otherwise, it's likely to be a scam. Checking an email’s sender can also help you determine if it's legitimate or a scam. It's a good idea to check the sender's exact email address in addition to the name that shows up in your inbox. Do you know who the sender is? Scam emails are almost always sent by unfamiliar email addresses. Pay special attention to what shows up after the @ sign in the sender’s email address. If it's something unusual that’s a red flag. Once you’ve seen the sender name and email address you can do a google search asking if they are a scam. Other people might have already fallen victim to the scam and posted about it online. Keep in mind that scammers will sometimes send emails that look like see DIG-IT page 11 TO GET YOUR LIBRARY CARD: 1) Fill out the easy online form at ypsilibrary.org/library-cards. 2) Call 734-482-4110 3) Or stop by any YDL location! DON’T HAVE A DRIVER’S LICENSE? We can work with a variety of IDs to get you your card. FEATURED RESOURCE Get YDL info in your inbox! Want emails about all of YDL’s great resources and events? You can choose the categories you’re most interested in to make sure you don’t miss anything! Scan below to get started or visit ypsilibrary.org. FEATURED EVENT Document Shredding Aug 26 10am-1pm YDL-Whittaker Bring up to four copy paper boxes or grocery bags of documents per person. Staples, paper clips, and rubber bands are OK. See ypsilibrary.org/events for full list of allowed materials. Limited to residents of the City of Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township, and Superior Township. Funded in part by a Washtenaw County Waste Reduction Sponsorship.
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