06/10/2026
In 2005, National Internet Safety Month was created to bring awareness to internet dangers and the need for internet safety education. Twenty years later, our technology has advanced exponentially and the need for internet safety continues to grow.
According to the FBI Internet Crime Report 2025, there were 2,888 victims in Maine who reported $56,536,020 in financial loss from cyber crime. This represents an 80% increase in financial loss and 35% increase in the number of victims of cyber crime in Maine since just the prior year.
This report also shares that older adults (60+) are most at-risk for cyber crime attacks, and that the healthcare and public health sector have the highest number of cyber threats within the critical infrastructure category.
What can we do? We need widespread internet safety education–classes in communities and online for everyone in Maine, public resources like government websites that are accessible and secure, private sector companies that have a vested interest in working to eliminate these threats.
We can’t do this work alone. Head to www.maineconnectivity.org/vision to get involved with MCA’s ongoing process to create a vision for Maine that is bringing opportunity, and creating safe online spaces, for everyone.
