GRTech
Need to ignite technology consciousness among women & girls in South East
Opinion By Ugwoke Udoka
Technology has come to stay and speedily redefining lives and economies. People from their homes can pay for their children’s school fees, buy items and get them delivered at their doorsteps or even sell their wares and get money paid to them instantly.
With the deluge of technology start-ups in the South East, it is disheartening that women and girls are seemingly oblivious of technology.
Many of them are not interested in partnering with these start ups neither do they want to be pioneers of any invention. This may be attributed to the Nigerian girl child mentality of her “duties ending up in the kitchen”.
Besides, the current President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria believes that the duty of his wife is only in the kitchen. Could it also be that women and girls are resistant to change? Does this really explain why in a Mechanical Engineering class of about a hundred students, less than ten are women?
There are women all over the world that have created or partnered with inventions that have made life easier for the world. Margaret Wilcox in 1983 created a combined clothes and dish washer. Dr. Maria Telkes and Eleanor Raymond in 1943 created the first home entirely heated by solar power.
Sheryl Kara Sandberg is the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and the founder of leanin.org. Tracy Chou is the lead soft ware developer at Pineterest; Virginia Marie “Ginni” Rometty, an American business executive is the CEO of IBM.
As a country, we have women who are leading from the fronts too: Dr. (Mrs) Omobola Johnson, was the first Minister of Communications (Nigeria); Funke Opeke is the founder of MainOne; Nkem Okocha is the founder of Mamamoni, a social enterprise and FinTech startup that empowers poor rural and urban slum women with free vocational/financial skills and micro-loans; Juliet Ehimuan is Google’s Country Manager, a position she assumed since 2011. But, they are mostly based in either Lagos, Abuja or operating outside the radius of South East.
These are technology driven women, who have identified problems and solved them with technology. It amazes me that women in the South East Nigeria are not towing this path enough. Many of the tech start-ups in the South East are owned by men. Take for instance Raadaa.com, Teneece, TechEconomy.ng, Genesys Tech Hub, CfaTech.ng and many others. You could argue that Linda Ikeji is one of us; Adanma Onuegbu is the CEO of Signal Alliance. How about if more of our women and girls were more technology conscious?
To an extent, women are blessed with patience and the sixth sense to go through various processes. What if this quality was put into technology? Just like Sheryl Sandberg, many women and girls in the South East are gifted and can improve our tech world if they can get interested. That’s why I was very happy when Awka, Anambra State based start-up, extraclass.ng, has emerged winner of the N1 million Taiwo Bankole Ogunyemi prize at the Techtiary Forum 2017. This is a morale booster for women/girls in the technology space- developers, start-ups, etc.
The Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, Gbenga Sesan, presenting the N1 million cheque (mock) to the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Extraclass.ng, Onyinyechi Nmecha, applauded the innovative platform and urged them to work harder; making good use presented by the prize money. Now, that’s cheering news, but Onyinyechi and her team are starting from scratch; in a region that seem alienated when it comes to women and girls in technology.
An article , The Real Reason Most Women Don’t Go Into Tech, published by Gene Marks on Forbes.com on the 16th of arch 2015 stated that in many software development companies, startups, construction firms and other businesses that employ engineers, developers, database experts and other technology types, there are always more males than females, with the feminine number almost inconsequential.
He identified that most graduate degree taken by women lean towards Education, Nursing, Social work and Counseling. This is majorly because women love to be ‘stay at home moms’ as it offers more flexibility than a typical technology job.
What greater output it would be if women are ignited with the passion for technology. Greater problems would be solved majorly in collaboration, which does not necessarily have to be only between the make folks.
If women in the South East can be more technology conscious, it would spur a passion for technology in women in other regions of Nigeria, which would make Nigeria more competitive when it comes to technology.
Igniting the technology passion in women takes education, awareness, sensitizations and opportunity creation.
I look forward to South East women and girls leading a Nigeria that can compete with Japan, USA, China, Germany and other tech countries.
Ugwoke Peace Udoka, ACA, MNIMN, BSc (Marketing) University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, 2016.
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday around the corner, we’re entering a high-risk period for cybersecurity.
A recent Sophos report highlights that malicious emails were the second most common root cause of ransomware attacks in critical sectors, responsible for 25% of cases.
During peak shopping days, this threat intensifies.
Here’s what happens: with the surge in online deals, more employees may be shopping from their work computers, feeling that Cyber Monday is a legitimate time to do so.
This increases the risk of them clicking more freely and potentially exposing the organization to malicious links or phishing attacks.
To keep your organization safe, encourage your team to follow these simple tips:
• Use an ad blocker – Advertisements are not only tracking your every movement and collecting enough information on your habits to make the FBI blush, but they are also a major source of malicious links and deceptive content on the internet. Not only is your browsing safer, but also faster and uses less bandwidth. Two of our favorites are uBlock Origin and Ghostery.
• Use private browsing or incognito mode – To prevent your shopping habits and interests from following you around from site to site (and potentially revealing what gifts you might be purchasing to others using your device, bonus!), you should enable private browsing (Firefox) or incognito mode (Chrome). This will block tracking cookies and help the internet forget your travels as the waves wash away your footprints in the sand.
• Make your browser “privacy smart” – The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) provides a browser extension called Privacy Badger designed to automatically make all the right choices around browsing whilst maintaining our privacy and blocking invisible trackers.
• Avoid using one account on multiple services – When logging into an e-commerce site it is often tempting to use the “Sign in with Facebook” or “Sign in with Google” button. While it takes a few more minutes to create a new login, it will provide more privacy as you are not sharing all of the sites you shop at with these tech giants.
• Use guest login when available – In addition to letting you use an account from other websites, many have an option to use a guest login rather than creating a new account. This is a great option if you don’t expect to need technical support or to do business on a recurring basis. Fewer passwords, fewer personal details, fewer problems if they get hacked.
• Don’t save card details – Many e-commerce sites will default to storing your credit card information in your profile for your “convenience” (or their hope you’ll shop there again). They can’t lose what they don’t have, so tell them not to store your credit card unless it is absolutely necessary.
• Use temporary card numbers – Many financial institutions now offer temporary or one-time use credit card numbers. You can open the app on your phone or in your browser and get a single-use disposable credit card number preventing card fraud and tracking when merchants share card processors. Sometimes you’re even able to specify a card limit per temporary number to further protect your account.
• Use credit, not debit – All of us need to be wary of overspending during the holidays, but it is best to leave the debit card at home. Credit cards offer significantly more protection against online fraud, and you are in the power position in a dispute. You can simply not pay your bill while disputing the charge, rather than having criminals directly drain your bank account of your hard-earned cash.
• Beware of direct messages via social media/chat apps – With modern generative AI technology it is almost trivial to create an entire fake online store and lure people to share their personal information and payment data with you. It’s safest to shop at established sites or those personally recommended to you by friends and family. Many unsolicited messages lead to data collection or theft.
• Don’t click deals in email that look too good to be true or are from businesses you don’t have accounts from – these could be phishing emails hoping to bait you into clicking links to bogus, malicious web sites.
This season, small steps can make a big difference in protecting against cyber threats.
GRTech
It’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Sophos has Some Tips for You!
In the mood of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Christopher Budd, Director Sophos X-Ops, has compiled some tips for staying secure online.
Cybersecurity Pro Tips:
- Face Scans and Fingerprints are Safer Than Passcodes: Use features like Face ID or fingerprint scans for your devices as much as possible. These are safer than passcodes and devices have good built-in protections for this sensitive information.
- Use Multi-Factor Authentication: Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) whenever possible. This gives an important extra layer of security that makes it harder for cybercriminals to access your accounts. If you can’t use something more secure like secure authenticator applications or physical hardware security keys, use your phone number — it’s safer than using nothing. If you use MFA for only one thing, use it for your email: that’s what attackers want the most.
- Think Before You Share Publicly: Think twice before sharing any information publicly –cybercriminals can use it to access your accounts or to convince someone that they’re you.
- Think about those cute surveys on Facebook with questions about your first car, city you were born in: these are the same kinds of info cybercriminals can use to pretend they’re you and log into and take over your accounts.
- You Don’t Always Need (to keep) the App: Don’t feel pressured to download an app every time: you can often use the service’s website just as well. Apps collect much more data than websites, including your location, your contact list and other info you might not want to share.If you do download an app, think about deleting it when you’re done using it: you can always reinstall it next time you need it.
- Apps from app stores and websites that aren’t the official big names ones like Google Play, Apple’s App Store, Samsung’s Galaxy Store can be very risky. The official stores have security and privacy standards that can identify malicious activity. Always stick to official sources for downloading apps or, if they’re not on the official app stores, download the app from the developer’s official website or use the app’s web version.
- Be On Your Guard for Unexpected Emails and Text Messages: Phishing continues to be one of the most effective tactics cybercriminals use to compromise consumers. If you get an unexpected email or text message, ignore it or at least don’t interact with it (don’t open attachments, don’t click on links). If you think it might be legitimate, reach out directly to who you think sent it and check with them.
- Question Urgency in Emails and Calls: Cybercriminals use urgency to get you to let your guard down and make bad decisions. If someone contacts you saying they’re from a trusted organization like the IRS, police or your bank and need you to take action quickly or something bad will happen, stop and question it. Go to the trusted source like the number on the back of your credit card to independently validate the request.
- Practice Good Password Security: Every account should have its own unique complex password. A strong password is at least 12 characters long with a mix of numbers, upper- and lower-case letters, and punctuation characters. Passwords should not be based on any personal information, and the best ones use a phrase rather than single words. If these passwords are too tough to juggle, try a password manager to stay organized.
- Keep Everything Updated and Run Security Tools. Make sure all your apps and devices are always fully updated. Be sure to have some sort of security software on all of your phones and computers (even if you have a Mac).
- Get Rid of End-of-Life Devices and Software: Everything from operating systems to services to Wi-Fi routers “go stale” and must be replaced eventually. For example, it might surprise you, but your internet router is typically only supported with patches and updates for a few years after you get it. Attackers love out-of-date devices. When something is “out of support” it’s stale: get rid of it and replace it with something fresh.
- Back Up Your Data: While ransomware groups are mostly after businesses that can pay higher ransoms, they still go after people at home. It’s still important to have your data backed up so that you don’t have to consider paying a ransom.
Put Your Mind at Ease Regarding These Cybersecurity Concerns
Part of staying secure requires being able to filter out the noise and prioritize the security actions that matter. Here are things notto worry about. Focus your energy on real risks, not exaggerated threats.
- Public Wi-Fi is Safer Than You Think: Contrary to outdated advice, public Wi-Fi is generally safe due to encryption used by most websites and apps. Use it freely at airports or coffee shops, but avoid sensitive activities.
- Beware of Fearmongering Around New Tech Features: Not every new technology is as risky as it’s made out to be. For example, Apple’s NameDrop feature is generally safe and requires specific conditions to function. However, if you’re concerned, you can easily turn it off in settings.
Stop Stressing Over Public Chargers: The risk of “juice jacking” (data theft from public chargers) is extremely low. Don’t worry about using public phone chargers — just focus on real, more prevalent threats.
eSocialMint Inc., a tech startup based in Houston, is hoping to revolutionize social and professional events with its innovative new app.
Scheduled for launch in Nigeria at the end of the year, eSocialMint (eSM) offers a comprehensive platform that integrates features from popular apps like Facebook, TikTok, Zoom, WhatsApp, and Snapchat.
Designed to transform how events are conducted and experienced, eSM combines social media technology with advanced features such as virtual hologram technology.
Developed by IT architect Fisayo Olamigoke, eSM is available on both web and mobile devices. It offers a range of functionalities, including team events, social events, advertising, an eStore, and the unique “eSprayMe” feature.
This feature allows users to virtually spray money at events, replicating a popular Nigerian cultural practice while adhering to legal regulations.
Targeted at professionals, personal users, public institutions, and governmental bodies, eSM aims to save time and money by reducing the need for physical travel. With its cutting-edge technology and user-friendly interface, eSocialMint is poised to redefine the future of virtual interactions.
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