Dubai
The internet is an addictive space. The likes and follows, free WiFis and endless sources of news and entertainment can make the online world an oddly liberating experience.
But while most people enjoy the relative freedom this world provides, they are alarmingly oblivious that it also presents very real dangers.
A 2016 study from Kaspersky, a cyber security firm, noted that while 42 per cent of UAE residents have fallen victim to cyber crime, only 21 per cent believed there is a threat. Less than half - 47 per cent - have installed security protection on their computers and mobile devices.
Apart from financial attacks, social crimes like cyber bullying, stalking and harrassment are just as prevalent in the online world and, just like the real world, women are more likely to be victims in the digital world.
According to a 2014 study by US-based Pew Research Centre young women, those aged 18-24, experience certain severe types of harassment at disproportionately high levels: 23 per cent of the women surveyed had been threatened with physical violence and 26 per cent had experienced severe forms of online harassment.
In addition, they did not escape the heightened rates of physical threats and sustained harassment common to their male peers and young people in general.
36-year-old Filipina Maria Lourdes Penero believes women are more like to fall prey to stalkers and hackers because they tend to overshare.
The Gulf News reader said: “In a day, a woman could post five pictures. We post more, we comment more. Comparatively, a man might not use his account as regularly.”
She strongly believes that the internet, quite like any other place, isn’t completely safe and exercises the necessary precautions to stay away from offensive comments and online behavior.
“I select my privacy settings to control who can follow me or add me as a friend. Whatever I post on social media, I share it with very few people. Also, I have noticed people are more offensive when they are commenting on current affairs and politics.”
Another Gulf News reader, Smita Sinoy, spoke about the tendency to share family information.
“Sometimes we are so happy and proud of our children that we post a picture from their first day of school. You never know who that information gets shared with! Don’t post details of where you are going to go for a holiday or with whom because people would know who is going to stay back. Some people post their mobile numbers. This is so scary and dangerous,” she said.
However, even regular content from women on social media can result in extreme reactions at times.
The internet is filled with videos and testimonials of women of different professions talking about the threats they receive on the internet from anonymous users. Whether an actress or an academic, a beauty blogger or a gamer, a woman can often be at the receiving end of threats of physical violence.
English author and columnist and Laurie Penny famously said that a woman’s opinion is the mini-skirt of the internet.
Even as authorities grapple with the ways in which users’ safety can be ensured online, the explosion of innovation has forced them to play catch up.
The flood of smart home devices - smart TVs, printers, microwaves and even home security systems - have made people more vulnerable to bullying, stalking and ransom demands.
In an interview with Gulf News in January this year, Nader Henein, Regional Director of BlackBerry’s Advanced Security Assurance Advisory, said: “Poorly secured IoT [Internet of things] devices, such as webcams, can be used by hackers in two ways: firstly as a Trojan horse, or an entry point, to gain access to your home computer network, and secondly as a weapon, along with thousands of other devices across the IoT universe, in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against nations and large companies.”
While earlier such attacks and ransom demands were targeted at companies, Henein warned that in 2017 the shift could be towards consumers due to poorly secured devices.
While the UAE has consistenly ranked high in global surveys with reference to safety in general and women’s safety in parituclar, authorities like the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA) and Al Ameen urge users to exercise caution online.
Speaking to Gulf News, Shias Siddique an IT manager in Dubai, said: “Cyber security is definitely a very fearful issue, the more you know about it the scarier it gets.”
One of the biggest traps most users fall into, according to Siddique, is the lure of free WiFi in public places. But let’s be honest — who doesn’t love free WiFi? Checking our phones has become an impulsive reaction to boredom, so whether you are at a shopping mall, at a doctor’s clinic or waiting for the bus, most people would not think twice before logging in to a free WiFi network.
To warn people of the very real danger they might be putting themselves in, the Telecom Regulatory Auhority (TRA) issued a statement last week urging residents to exercise caution.
Speaking to Gulf News, TRA stated that one of the most common mistakes women make online is sharing too much information.
“Most attackers start with gathering people details from social media accounts and use those details for the attack,” TRA stated.
By sharing details on when they are going for a movie, where they work or which social places they visit, users unwittingly provide information to potential attackers.
Most users also do not follow basic precaution in setting up safer, stronger passwords, therefore compromising their email, bank and social media accounts.
Siddique said: “The password is the first step towards online safety. We all come from different parts of the world, try to create a password in your native language as an attack hacker’s use is called the dictionary attack, which is based on certain words that you find in the dictionary.”
You are not alone
While many women face online harrassment and bullying, a discouragingly low number reports it. According to Dubai Polic, 80 per cent of women who experience harrassment in general do not report it.
However, documenting and reporting harrassment can be a lot easier online.
Globally, several web services offer women the chance to report harassment and receive educational content to avoid common mistakes. Australia’s government launched an e-safety website especially for women - https://www.esafety.gov.au/Women. Another global campaign that allows women to track and stop online abuse is takebackthetech.net.
In the UAE, Al Ameen Service in Dubai receives calls on their toll free number - 800 4888. The TRA has also been proactive in educating women on the perils of using the internet without practising basic security steps.
In a statement to Gulf News, the TRA said: “The TRA provides security awareness sessions, addressing a number of important topics related to information security as e-mail, smart phones, passwords, and other related security topics, and explaining how to identify the risks and ways of preventing it. The TRA is regularly posting security tips through TRA social media accounts, and publishing a series of security guidance on how to secure personal information. Also, TRA launched the Salim website in 2016, that contains a variety of awareness materials, such as videos and games to educate the society, including women, about the cyber risks and the ways to protect against them.”
So, while the internet definitely does pose a serious threat, there is enough help and support around you to make your online experience safe.
