According to a latest survey by telecommunications company du, two out of five UAE residents have been victims of cyber crime.
By 2021 there would be 16 times as many people using social media, The National quoted du’s executive vice president Hala Badri as saying.
“So you can imagine the number of hours people will spend on social media,” Badri reportedly said at the launch of du’s first public service campaign, #PostWisely. “There’s a thirst to be on these platforms and it’s a growing concern.”
Of 1,000 UAE residents, about 460 spend more than two hours a day on social media, with 430 on at least eight social platforms more than once a day, the report said.
“These are shocking statistics,” Badri reportedly said. “One thing that opened my eyes to this subject is personal experience because I’m very active on social media, and I post family and work information as well as where I go, eat, travel and my entire life.”
The survey was conducted after colleagues reportedly showed her how social media sites revealed where she lived, her children’s school and her weekend activities.
“What scared me is these people could connect with my children and add them just because they found out they had a connection with me, so it’s that easy to gain their trust,” Badri was quoted as saying. “I saw an opportunity in this that we need to do something about it. The campaign is about making people aware of their behaviour and change it.”
The survey reportedly found 75 percent of respondents accepted friendships with people on Facebook they did not know, and 30 per cent of them shared information
