Taking the Public Pulse on Cyber (3.1, 3.2, 3.3)

Aligns to Florida Board of Governors strategic goal Scholarship, Research & Innovation>Increase research activity & attract more external funding.

Each year, Cyber Florida partners with the University of South Florida School of Public Administration and others to conduct surveys of relevant audiences on a variety of cybersecurity topics. These surveys help inform our outreach, research, and public policy strategies. In 2021-2022, we conducted the following studies:

• A survey of Florida’s local government cyber readiness in partnership with the Florida League of Cities to determine gaps in cybersecurity that could be addressed through legislative efforts.

• A nationwide survey of 1,000 U.S. adults to better understand patterns of social media usage, including their management of online privacy and security, as well as the effects of social media usage on their social well-being.

A nationwide survey to determine how people perceive social media quality markers such as articles labeled as “fact-checked.”

Combating Cybercrime (3.2)

Aligns to Florida Board of Governors strategic goals Community & Business Engagement>Strengthen Quality & Recognition of Commitment to Community & Business Engagement and Community & Business Engagement>Increase Community & Business Engagement

Each year, cybercrime spikes in November and December as more and more people turn to online solutions for their holiday shopping needs. Scams run the gamut from fake package delivery notifications to too-good-to-be-true discounts designed to snag credit card information. Senior citizens are particularly vulnerable to these threats, so Cyber Florida runs a targeted online awareness campaign to help Florida’s seniors learn to recognize and avoid the online scams that abound during the holidays.

• Nearly 50,000 Floridians engaged with the campaign, an impressive amount for a $5,000 investment