Technology
Internet Safety Education: Our Greatest Weapon Against Internet Abuse and Cyber Crimes
By Rotimi Onadipe
What is internet safety?
Internet safety refers to precautions that should be observed when using the internet in order to ensure the safety of the user’s personal or sensitive information, device, properties, life etc.
Human life has become very interesting with the introduction of the internet, social media, smartphones, iPad and other High Tech devices.
With this development, there is no doubt that the first thing we view in the morning and the last thing we view at night is our mobile phone or computer because of our need to communicate with friends, family members, neighbours, business partners etc.
However, as good as the internet is, we must be informed about the dangers associated with internet usage e.g. internet fraud, hacking, cyberbullying, social media addiction, online gaming addiction, pornography or cybersex addiction etc.
As far as internet abuse and cyber crimes are concerned, we are all vulnerable in one way or the other and the best way we can reduce our vulnerability is to be educated about internet safety irrespective of our age, sex, status, nationality, profession or academic qualification.
It is very important for us to know that we don’t have to become information technology experts before we can stay safe online. If we have the right information that we need, we can protect ourselves against many online risks associated with internet usage.
Adopting the following safety tips is a good way to educate ourselves about internet safety:
- Use strong password. The stronger your password, the tougher it is to crack by cybercriminals. Make sure your password is long. Use at least 14 characters and mix letters, numbers and special characters.
- Change your password from time to time because you may not know if a cybercriminal is monitoring your password.
- Keep your browser and other programs updated. If you are not updating on a regular basis, your device may continue to be vulnerable to different cyber attacks.
- When you receive an email that has an attachment or a link, don’t download the attachment or follow the link if you are not 100% sure it is legitimate. Cybercriminals send unsolicited emails with a malicious attachment or link on a daily basis and many unsuspecting victims have ignorantly downloaded such malicious attachments and followed the link, after which their private and sensitive information were stolen e.g. username, password, credit card information, personal identification number, bank account details etc.
- Avoid sharing your private and sensitive information online. This is because cybercriminals can easily get your personal information through any online platform and use it for fraudulent purposes.
- Avoid using public Wi-fi. e.g. cyber cafes, hotels, restaurants, banks, colleges, airports etc. This is because most public Wi-fi are easy to hack by cybercriminals. It is also very easy for cybercriminals to monitor any internet user in public places through the CCTV attached to their devices.
- Talk to your children about internet safety so that they don’t ignorantly disclose your personal and sensitive information to internet fraudsters. Most children that are on social media are the targets of cybercriminals and many children may ignorantly divulge their parents’ personal and sensitive information to cybercriminals.
- When you receive an email warning you of some consequences if you don’t take action immediately, be suspicious of such email. e.g. when you are warned that your bank account will be closed or that those unauthorized charges have been deducted from your bank account, credit card, utility bills, online mobile recharge etc.
- Don’t post your travel plans and other activities on social media because most cybercriminals get their victims’ information through social media.
- Conclusively, knowledge is your greatest weapon against cybercriminals. Make sure you always contact experts or counsellors on cybercrime and other related matters so that they can educate you about the common tricks of cybercriminals. This is very important because as technology advances, new fraud schemes are being developed on a daily basis by cybercriminals.
Rotimi Onadipe is the CEO of Onadipe Technologies and founder of Internet Safety Magazine
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
An additional $200,000 will be invested in Artificial Intelligence (AI) media literacy initiatives across Sub-Saharan Africa, TikTok announced during its third annual Sub-Saharan Africa Safer Internet Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.
The platform hosted government officials, regulators, online safety partners and industry leaders for the event, reinforcing its commitment to collaborative approaches to online safety.
The funds will be provided in ad credits to help support local organisations in the region to expand AI media literacy.
This investment builds on the company’s initial $2 million AI Literacy Fund, launched in November 2025, which awarded 20 global non-profits to create content that boosts public understanding of AI.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, TikTok initially supported three organisations to advance digital literacy and combat misinformation.
“With the rapid advancement of AI, we are committed to educating our community online, so they feel empowered to have responsible experiences with AI, whether that’s as viewers or creators.
“We are partnering with trusted local organisations that communities already know and rely on, because their expertise and deep local connections are essential to making AI literacy programs truly impactful,” the Global Head of Partnerships, Elections and Market Integrity at TikTok, Mr Valiant Richey, stated.
Earlier, the Head of Government Relations and Public Policy for Sub-Saharan Africa at TikTok, Ms Tokunbo Ibrahim, said, “As we host the 3rd Annual Safer Internet Summit here in Kenya, our mission is clear: to share learnings, insights, tackle common challenges and collaboratively advance actionable solutions that protect citizens online.
“By bringing together a diverse coalition of policymakers, tech innovators, and creators, we are ensuring that the conversations we have at this Summit are all-inclusive and lead to a more resilient digital landscape.”
The summit featured expert panels and discussions on critical topics, including TikTok’s Trust and Safety efforts, protecting young people online, and policy frameworks for responsible AI governance.
A key highlight of the event was showcasing how TikTok uses AI to transform how people share their creativity and discover new passions, while ensuring the community remains safe through transparent and responsible AI practices.
The platform also shared more about how recent advancements in AI are helping the platform moderate content faster and more consistently at scale, by improving automated moderation and empowering human teams with better moderation tools.
With over 100 million pieces of content uploaded daily to TikTok, these advances, which work alongside human moderation teams, are helping get violative content down faster, reducing the likelihood of the community seeing it.
According to the latest Community Guidelines Enforcement Q3 2025, TikTok removed over 14 million videos across Sub-Saharan Africa, with 96.7 per cent detected and removed proactively using automated technology, underscoring TikTok’s commitment to proactive moderation and swift action.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The winners of the Technovation 4.0 Hackathon, themed The Wicked Hackathon, organised by Interswitch, have been given N10 million in cash prizes for their efforts.
At the one-day finale event, which took place on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at the Interswitch Innovation Lab and Co-Working Space, the money was shared among the top teams whose innovative solutions stood out during the rigorous multiple phases of the competition.
Team Quickteller Fashion emerged as the overall winner, securing the grand prize of N4 million for a solution that impressed judges with its originality, practicality, and strong strategic relevance. Team Kampe claimed second position with N2.5 million, while Team Stable placed third, receiving N1.5 million. Up to N300,000 worth of cash prizes were also awarded to the fourth, fifth and sixth qualifying teams.
For nine months, cross-functional teams from across the organisation collaborated to conceptualise, validate, develop, and refine solutions, moving from raw ideas to minimum viable products (MVPs) with ready-to-market potential and deployment across the business.
The atmosphere at the grand finale reflected that of preparation and anticipation as the top 9 teams presented their innovations through live demonstrations and detailed pitches, fielding questions from a distinguished panel of judges before the top three winners were selected. Each presentation highlighted rigorous validation processes, thoughtful market considerations, and a strong emphasis on measurable impact.
While many of the solutions remain confidential due to their strategic relevance, the diversity and depth of ideas showcased during the hackathon’s final underscored the organisation’s growing culture of intrapreneurship and structured innovation. The projects illustrated how technology-driven thinking can unlock efficiencies, strengthen operational capabilities, and open new pathways for growth across the digital payments and commerce ecosystem.
“Technovation continues to reflect who we are as an organisation, bold, forward-thinking, and deeply committed to building impactful solutions from within. Over the years, we have seen ideas conceived during this programme evolve into meaningful capabilities that strengthen our ecosystem.
“The passion, discipline, and ingenuity demonstrated by our teams this year reinforce our belief in the power of African innovation to solve complex challenges and shape the future of technology on the continent,” the Chief Innovation Officer for Interswitch, Ms Adaobi Okerekeocha, stated.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The language support for its AI Search features has been expanded by Google, with the inclusion of Yoruba and Hausa in Nigeria.
This is part of a broader effort to make AI more inclusive across the continent, with support now extending to a total of 13 African languages.
Under the AI Overviews and AI Mode, speakers of both Nigerian languages can utilise AI-powered Search experiences in their mother tongue for quick summaries and conversational exploration.
This means existing AI features in Google Search are now accessible to people like the student in Kano asking a question in Hausa, and the trader in Ibadan seeking advice in Yorùbá.
By addressing language barriers, this update ensures that technology reflects the identity and culture of the people it serves. With this expansion, more people can now use AI Mode to ask complex questions in their preferred language, while exploring the web more deeply and naturally through text or voice.
The 13 languages now supported across Africa include Afrikaans, Akan, Amharic, Hausa, Kinyarwanda, Afaan Oromoo, Somali, Sesotho, Kiswahili, Setswana, Wolof, Yorùbá, and isiZulu.
These languages were chosen based on the vibrant search activity across the continent, ensuring that our AI experiences reach the communities that need them most.
Commenting on the development, the Communications and Public Affairs Manager for Google in West Africa, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, said, “Building a truly global Search goes far beyond translation — it requires a nuanced understanding of local information.
“With the advanced multimodal and reasoning capabilities of our custom version of Gemini in Search, we’ve made huge strides in language understanding, so our most advanced AI search capabilities are locally relevant and useful in each new language we support.
“This is about ensuring Nigerians can converse with Search in their mother tongues, making information more helpful for everyone.”
To use AI Overviews and AI Mode in the local language, users must open the Google app on an Android or iOS device, or via the Web. They are required to tap on AI Mode within the Search experience. Thereafter, they can type or speak the question in their preferred language, such as Hausa or Yorùbá, and let the AI guide the journey.
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