Introductory Guide to the Cyber Welfare Programme: the map of your path
Five courses, three pillars, a path that fits you
This is not a course: it is the map that helps you get your bearings before you begin, and that you can come back to whenever you wonder what the next step should be. The Cyber Welfare programme is made of five courses that complete one another, and none of them assumes you are an expert: they only assume that you use a phone, a computer and a few dozen accounts every day, like everyone else.
One idea runs through the whole programme: digital security is not a matter of complicated tools, but of awareness, skills and habits. It is the human factor that makes the difference, and that is good news, because it means protection is within your reach, one step at a time. You will find no alarmism here and no promises of absolute security, because there is no such thing: you will find a way to reduce the risks that genuinely matter to you, with proportionate and calm choices.
The Cyber Welfare Framework in two minutes
The whole programme rests on three pillars. Skills are the know-how: turning on two-factor authentication, setting up a backup, configuring a password manager. Awareness is the understanding: how deception works, where your data goes, which risks actually concern you. Secure Behaviour is the practice that remains: the habits that keep protecting you once the course is over. Every section of every course states which pillar it is training.
Each course is then organised into three progressive paths: Essential, to build the foundations; Intermediate, for those who want method and autonomy, including at work; Advanced, for those who want to understand in depth and become a point of reference for others. You can stop at the Essential path of each course and already be far better protected than average: the following levels are there when, and if, you need them.
Digital maturity levels, from FL1 to FL5
The scale of levels is not a race: it is an honest way to understand where you are and choose the right path.
- FL1 — Basic: you use digital tools every day, but security is something you have put off so far.
- FL2 — Beginner: you have your first solid habits, such as two-step verification on your main accounts.
- FL3 — Autonomous: you manage tools and settings on your own, from a password manager to a backup that works.
- FL4 — Skilled: you handle complex scenarios too, from encryption to recovery after an incident.
- FL5 — Expert/Guide: beyond protecting yourself, you guide others: family, colleagues, community.
On the portal you will find the Self-assessment: a questionnaire that places you on the scale and suggests where to begin.
The five courses + 1, in portrait
- Online Security — the front door. It covers what you use every day: passwords and passkeys, two-factor authentication, smartphones, apps, home network, online banking. From Essential (FL1→FL2) to Advanced (FL3→FL5).
- Online Privacy — your data, your rules. Not who attacks you, but who watches you: what data you generate, who collects it, how to take back control, all the way to your rights and how to exercise them.
- Offline Defence — the human factor. The most effective scams arrive by phone call, text message, QR code, or a person at the door: here you train the defence no technology can replace.
- Data Protection — what is yours stays yours. The life cycle of your data: mapping it, encrypting it, building backups that actually work, disposing of devices and accounts, all the way to digital legacy.
- Online Anonymity — the second-level course. Anonymity is not hiding: it is being able to choose what to reveal. It assumes the basics of Online Privacy and follows one constant principle: proportionality.
- Introductory Course — the map of the path. Want to start from the basics and get a clear picture of the “Protect Your Digital Privacy” path? After the Introductory Course you will have the foundations: cyberspace, the Internet, mobile networks and satellite communications, and how they relate to security, privacy, anonymity, data protection and the human factor, explained from scratch.
Who covers what: the map of topics
The five courses are designed not to repeat one another: every topic has a reference course and, when a subject concerns more than one, each treats it from its own angle and points to the others for the rest.
- Passwords, passkeys, authentication, breached accounts → Online Security.
- Smartphones, apps, home network and smart devices → Online Security.
- Tracking, cookies, data brokers, GDPR rights → Online Privacy.
- VPN, confidential communication, privacy while travelling and at work → Online Privacy.
- AI assistants and chatbots, what to share and what not to → Online Privacy, with deeper coverage in Data Protection and Online Anonymity.
- Scams by phone, text message, QR code or in person → Offline Defence.
- Deepfakes, voice cloning, disinformation → Offline Defence and Online Privacy, each from its own angle.
- Cognitive biases and the psychological levers of deception → Offline Defence.
- Backup, encryption, cloud, safe disposal, digital legacy → Data Protection.
- Ransomware and data breaches → Data Protection.
- TOR, OPSEC, anonymity, source protection → Online Anonymity.
- Protecting children, older relatives and loved ones → Online Privacy and Offline Defence, Essential paths.
Three recommended itineraries
- If you are starting from zero (FL1): begin with Online Security Essential, then Online Privacy Essential and Offline Defence Essential. These three paths cover accounts, personal data and scams. Add Data Protection Essential when you want to secure photos, documents and memories.
- If you already have good habits (FL2–FL3): the Self-assessment will tell you where you are most fragile. The step change usually comes from the Intermediate paths: password managers and account recovery, separating work from private life, verification procedures at work, professional encryption and backup.
- If you want to become a guide (towards FL5): the Advanced paths close with a section devoted to supporting others. From there the natural bridge is the Education Project and the Cyber Welfare Certification.
The method you will find everywhere
Across the courses you will recognise the same way of reasoning. First: your personal threat model — before choosing a tool, ask what you are protecting yourself from and how likely it is to concern you; it is the compass that keeps choices proportionate. Second: one habit at a time — every lesson aims at one concrete action, because ten pieces of advice half-applied protect you less than three applied well. Third: no blame — if a scam works it is because it was well built, not because you are naive; calm is a condition of clear thinking, and the programme protects it, including in the way it speaks to you.
The resources that accompany the courses
Every teaching lesson has an in-depth resource on the portal, freely available and always up to date: you can use it as a recap or as a starting point on its own. The FL1–FL5 Self-assessment helps you measure your progress between one path and the next. And when you feel the next step is helping others, the Education Project and the Cyber Welfare Certification are the way to do it with method.
Download the Complete Guide
The full version of this map — extended course portraits, the levels table, the complete topic map and the itineraries — is collected in the Complete Guide to the Cyber Welfare Programme, freely downloadable as a PDF. You can consult it whenever you like, including offline.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to take the courses in a specific order?
No, with one exception: Online Anonymity assumes the basics of Online Privacy, or an equivalent FL2 maturity. For everything else, the order suggested in the itineraries is advice, not a constraint: each course stands on its own and, when a topic is covered elsewhere, it tells you so and points you there.
Do I need to be a technology expert?
No. The Essential paths start from zero and every technical term is explained when it appears. If a step requires a tool, the lesson walks you through using it, taking nothing for granted.
How much time does it take?
The lessons are short and designed to be followed in small doses: the goal is not to finish quickly, but to turn each lesson into a habit. An Essential path is comfortably completed in a few weeks by giving it a few minutes a day.
Can I skip a level?
Yes, if the Self-assessment places you further ahead. The Intermediate and Advanced paths open by recapping what is needed from the previous level, so you can quickly check that you have the foundations they assume.
And after the courses?
The portal stays with you: the in-depth resources are updated over time and the Self-assessment lets you measure your progress. If you want to make supporting others a recognised role, the Education Project and the Cyber Welfare Certification are the next step.
Where to start, today: join the “Protect Your Digital Privacy” Programme. It is free and it is the extra help for finding your bearings: it puts the tools and information that matter at your disposal exactly when you need them, one recommendation at a time. From there, the Self-assessment tells you which course and which level to start from.
This page is part of the section on courses to protect your digital privacy. If you are looking for the introductory video course, see the Introductory Course on Online Security, Privacy and Anonymity.
Start with the first step: the “Protect Your Digital Privacy” Programme guides you free of charge, one recommendation at a time.