TIPS to Observe if Your Social Media Account Has Been Hacked

It is no gain saying that social media is now an important feature in our lives. It is used by almost everyone from celebrities to influencers, businesses, news platforms, marketers and individuals. Some persons have even leveraged on it to make money.

So, it is important for your different social media accounts to be secured. Regardless, since you are online, and there are hackers prowling for accounts to hack, you have to be observant to know if your accounts have been illegally accessed or not. In line with this, Jumia Travel and Jumia Mobile Week presents 7 signs your social media account has been hacked.

You Are Unable to Log into Your Accounts

This is an obvious sign that your account may have been hijacked by hackers. You have tried several passwords but you are still locked out of your account.

Even the change password option is not working. It must have been a very sophisticated hack. The only way you can have your account back is to contact Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat.

Status Not Updated by You

This is perhaps the simplest way to know if your social media account has been hacked. You will see tweets or posts you didn't share appearing on your timeline. It may be political or propagandist messages. You should immediately change your password.

Your Number of Followers Significantly Jumps

You only have 300 followers on either your Instagram or Twitter page. Then you suddenly notice that it jumped to like 2,000 or 3,000.

It is strange right and you never followed anyone. In fact, Instagram or Twitter will not allow you to garner 2,000 or 3,000 followers a day. If this is the case, it is highly possible that your account has been hacked.

Someone Logged into Your Account from an Unusual Location

Sometimes, you may add the wrong location for reasons best known to you. However, if you see a location you never added, it is an alert that someone is illegally accessing your account from that location. You may want to do some checks to be sure you were not the one that changed it.

You Cannot Find All Your Posts

All your posts for years have grown wings and flew away. You cannot find them. You searched and searched but you still couldn't find them.

You logged in and logged out but the same thing. It is advisable you change your password or you have to deactivate that account and open a new one.

Too Many Spammy Ads On Your Page

This mainly applies to Facebook. A seemingly interesting post is recommended to you to read. If you click it, you have opened the floodgate to spammy ads. That click will allow hackers to access your account.

Your Cover Image Has Been Replaced

If your cover image has been replaced with a naked woman or any other nasty picture or photo, it means someone is attempting to frame you or in the process of usurping your account. You should look out for this on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Adopt Policy for Robotics Technology; IT Expert Urges FG

Jide Awe, an Information Technology expert on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to formulate policy and strategy that would pave way for the country to adopt robotics technology.

Awe, who is also the chairman, Conferences Committee of Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) disclosed this in Lagos.

According to Awe, robotics is the study of robots which is essentially man made machines that consist of electromagnetic and electrical components designed to resemble human beings and programmed to carry certain tasks.

“The essence of its existence is to improve productivity, safety in certain areas where human capacity is inefficient.’’

Awe, who described robotics as the future, said that it was a necessity for the country to have the policy and a strategy toward it.

He said that it was a complex field that required infrastructure to be in place such as the physical component, which the country did not have presently.

“The reason why we need to have a strategy and policy is so that we do not become consumers of other people’s products again”.

There is need for us to build up our talent base, create awareness about it within the educational system and encourage entrepreneurs to buy into it.

“There is need also to make facilities available so that people can invest in robotic; so that this aspect of the production, programming and local content can be done in the country.

“With good strategy and the country ready to invest, it is an area that the country can get competitive advantage,” he said.

According to Awe, there is need to consider that when robotics is adopted, the aspect that concerns jobs will be reviewed as there can be some loses in that area.

“The challenge that exists now is actually going into it because a lot of issues and obstacles need to be addressed.

“There is need to encourage innovative jobs that robots only can do and also encourage the study of robotics so that we can have an industry in Nigeria.

“This will therefore make the country a less consuming one; the advantages outweigh the disadvantages,” he said.

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NIRA Records 17,610 Activities in 3 Months; .Ng Adoption on Onward Trend

Statistics of domain name registration for January, February & March 2017 released by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) shows increased adoption.

According to the statistics obtained by Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, for the month of March 2017, there were a total of 6,797 domain name registrations.

This figure is more than the March 2016 registrations of 4,129, which shows a remarkable improvement.

The March 2017 total registration is more than the total February 2017 registration of 5,254. This trend shows the improvement in the number of domain registrations.

“Of course the economic situation in 2016 was quite different from the economic climate in 2017. Nigerians have re-strategized in their plans for promoting their online business and hence there is improvement in the domain name count,” Rev’ Sunday Folayan, president of NiRA said concerning the trend.

Meanwhile, the 2017 .ng Awards will hold on Friday 21st April 2017 at the Lagos Oriental Hotel.

Awards will be given to individuals and organizations contributing to the growth of the .ng domain name space and the promotion of the Domain Name System (DNS) Industry in Nigeria.

The .ng Awards is a yearly event and this year’s edition promises to be more glamourous than the 2016 event. Many individuals and organisations have confirmed attendance

Also, come Friday 28th April 2017, the NiRA 9th AGM will hold at NiRA Office Complex. NiRA Members will be voting to fill vacant positions on the NiRA Executive Board of Directors and Board of Trustees. As was the practice in the past, votes will be electronic at the AGM, but this is not an excuse to miss the opportunity to fellowship with other members.

“The last two weeks saw members discussing and voting on some special resolutions related to the composition and tenure of NIRA. I am extremely delighted that we were able to conduct an Electronic General Meeting (e-GM) which lasted two weeks, as enshrined in the Association’s constitution. I congratulate all members for showing the way to the larger society, by the way we managed our business in a free, open, transparent and dignifying way”, the president said.

Sunday Folayan, NiRA President, speaking at the startup South-West event held in Ibadan recently.

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Must Know Lessons Before Developing Mobile App

A mobile app is important to startups in so many ways. It increases sales and it is user-friendly. As a result, startups always want to join the mobile app bandwagon.

Therefore, it is one of the first things they do. However, Jumia travel, the leading online travel agency, have observed that there are some things you seriously need to consider before making the decision to launch a mobile app for your business. Here are some of the things.

Does Your Startup Need An App?

There are some businesses that mobile application is not essential for them to run smoothly. This is especially for startups that do not have a strong online presence. So, as an entrepreneur, you should ask yourself if your startup requires an app.

Target Audience

So many young persons are using internet savvy smartphones and it is likely that they will be the ones to download your app. But if your services are not targeted at these millenials, you do not really need a mobile app. Clearly, it is key to know whom you are designing your mobile app for.

Cost Implications

Since your business is a startup and you are still in the teething phase, you have to consider the cost of developing an app.

This is because there are other aspects of the business you can invest the money you want to use in creating an app. Remember that the app must be available on both Android and iPhone.

Free or Paid

The truth is only a handful of people want to pay for using a mobile app no matter how essential it is.

They will say there are many other apps that serve the same purpose that is free. Thus, you may lose customers. This is why you should consider the cost of designing the app.

Market Research

If you have data, it is will be easier for you to make the app decision. Do a bit of market research by checking out how many of your competitors have a mobile app and also the performance of the app.

If you are happy with what you see, you can decide to contract developers to build your app that will improve the flaws you noticed in your competitor's app.

Can You Manage Complaints from Customers Who Use the App?

This is a question of capacity. Your startup is just evolving and you don't want to carry too much burden and be overwhelmed.

If do not have the staff and capacity to handle complaints and inquiries that as to do with using and downloading your app, you should shelve the idea of designing one.

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ICTs Can Fast Forward Progress On SDGs

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) now form the backbone of today’s digital economy. They also have enormous potential to fast forward progress on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and improve people’s lives in fundamental ways.

Building the next generation of ICT infrastructure will power the evolution of smart, sustainable cities and communities worldwide. Making modern ICT access more widely available will also foster the local innovation needed to spur domestic economic growth.

As the UN’s specialized agency for ICTs, ITU has a crucial role to play in making sure this critical infrastructure is built in a globally harmonized way that speeds connectivity worldwide – and positions ICTs to accelerate all 17 of the SDGs.

Building Out From SDG 9

For us, it starts with SDG 9, which is a key focus for ITU as we leverage our core competencies in ICT infrastructure to maximize our unique contribution to the UN’s efforts to achieve the SDGs.

ITU’s mission is to connect the world, and with more than 150 years of experience in harmonizing spectrum, international communication technical standards and policies, ITU is well positioned to help build this ICT foundation for modern development.

As demand for data on wireless devices skyrockets worldwide, ITU’s role in brokering the critical international agreements that guide the cooperative use of radiofrequency spectrum is now more vital than ever. In addition, the globally harmonized technical standards we produce help lower the costs of ICT infrastructure deployment, encouraging the significant investments required for improved connectivity worldwide.

While we still have a long way to go – some 3.9 billion people are still unconnected to the Internet – we have made great strides. For instance, ITU’s G. fast technical standard has emerged as an important “bridge” technology, allowing countries across the world to better connect their citizens to high-speed networks at lower cost using existing copper infrastructure. ITU also provided the older xDSL technical standards that still enable over half of all Internet connections in developing countries.

The Importance of Partnerships – SDG 17

With ITU’s broad membership base of government, private sector and academia, ITU will be collaborating and cooperating with many other organisations to ensure the transformative impacts of ICTs are maximised.

The UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, ITU’s Connect 2020, the Alliance for Affordable Internet, the Global e-Sustainability Initiative and the Partnership for Sustainable Development Data are just a few examples of existing collaborations that show SDG 17 in action.

ICTs are widely recognised as the cross-cutting transformative potential for all SDGs.

Scalable Solutions To Speed Progress

Below are examples of ITU and ICT contributions to the other SDGs that will be reviewed at the HLPF:

SDG 1 There are still more than 2 billion “unbanked” people in the world. Access to financial services has proven to be a pivotal step in helping lead people out of poverty, and thanks to digital financial services, many are now participating in the digital economy for the first time. ITU has produced several reports providing guidance on implementing digital financial services.

SDG 2 To feed a growing world population, agriculture is increasingly knowledge-intensive. ITU and FAO are working with countries to set up and implement initiatives to fast forward e-agriculture.

SDG 3 Direct patient interaction, health informatics and telemedicine can all be improved through better connectivity. One small example is the ITU and World Health Organization’s Be He@lthy, Be Mobile initiative.

SDG 5 There are more than 250 million fewer women online than men. To close the digital gender gap ITU Members organizes International Girls in ICT Day, and a partnership with UN Women for Gender Equality in the Digital Age.

SDG 14 Enabled by ITU’s international satellite regulatory framework, satellite observations and monitoring increases scientific knowledge of the oceans and marine life.

The new digital economy, and its increasing reliance on the transformative impact of Big Data, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is essential to eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable development.

For this reason, ITU will continue to work to connect the unconnected, in partnership with all stakeholders to maximize the impact of ICTs in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs.

Houlin Zhao is the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The article first appeared in ITUNews.

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