I read with interest MEP David Casa’s column Online Criminals And Spies (June 20).

I am happy to learn that the European Union had passed laws to combat online intrusion of privacy and it is monitoring intelligence gathering by surveillance organisations.

However, legislation is not enough. The EU and national governments should embark on a widespread information campaign educating and encouraging citizens to use encryption when transferring all sorts of data over the internet.

This can be easily achieved by using the numerous tools freely available on the internet.

The following are a few examples that can help readers achieve this goal:

Users of mainstream smartphones can download an app from a reputable app store that allows encrypted (secure) voice conversations between mobile phones.

Before uploading information to cloud storage services, users should encrypt the data using free programs such as 7Zip and employing a strong passphrase.

When sending e-mails using popular e-mail software, such as Outlook or Thunderbird, users should download a free digital certificate and install it. Digital certificates allow encrypted e-mails to be exchanged between users. Moreover, they ensure the authenticity of the sender and integrity of the message content.

Users who would like to conduct video calls, conferencing, chat and desktop sharing should adopt Jitsi rather than the other popular services.

In conclusion, as health authorities educate and encourage people to wash their hands to prevent viruses and diseases, the competent authorities should encourage the widespread use of cryptography. Such an initiative should also be included in the soon-to-be-drafted National Strategy for the Digital Economy.