What does digital literacy mean?
Definition
Digital literacy is the set of skills you use to find, evaluate, organize, create and communicate information with technology, along with using it responsibly. US federal law defines it this way.
- Category
- Security
- Also called
- digital literacy skills, digital skills
- Last updated
The most quoted definition comes from US law. The Museum and Library Services Act of 2010 defines digital literacy skills as "the skills associated with using technology to enable users to find, evaluate, organize, create, and communicate information; and developing digital citizenship and the responsible use of technology." The US Department of Education's adult education program repeats that wording.
That is broader than knowing how to use a phone. It covers things you do every day without naming them. You search and pick a result. You decide whether a page or message is what it claims to be. You keep files and passwords where you can find them. You write emails and post in groups. And you think about what you share and who can see it.
Where privacy comes in
The "evaluate" and "responsible use" parts touch your personal data. Deciding whether a text from your bank is real before you tap the link is digital literacy. So is knowing that a quiz you answer can leave your name, birthday and location with a company you never heard of.
It is a level, not a yes or no. Someone can be comfortable with banking apps and still not know that a people-search site lists their home address.
Digital literacy vs. close terms
- Digital skills usually means the practical how-to, such as typing or joining a video call. Digital literacy includes that and adds judgment about what you read and share.
- Digital citizenship is the behavior side: using technology responsibly and respectfully. The legal definition counts it as part of digital literacy.
How to protect yourself
- 1
Check who a message is from before you act
If a message asks you to log in, pay or share a code, go to the company's site or app yourself instead of using the link. Call back on a number from the company's own website.
- 2
Review what you share and with whom
Check the privacy settings on your social accounts, and look at which apps can see your location, contacts and photos. Turn off what an app does not need.
- 3
Use a password manager and two-factor authentication
Unique passwords for each account and a second step at login limit the damage when one site is breached.
- 4
Find out where your details are listed
Search your name and your address. Serus finds where your address and phone number are listed and removes them, which takes away material that scammers use to sound convincing.
See where your personal data is exposed
Serus finds it on data brokers and people-search sites and removes it.
Frequently asked
Is digital literacy the same as computer skills?
No. Computer skills are the how-to part. Digital literacy, as US law defines it, also covers evaluating information and using technology responsibly.
Who defined digital literacy?
The definition most often cited in the US comes from the Museum and Library Services Act of 2010, which the Department of Education's adult education pages repeat.
Sources
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