Internet Society of Ghana fights sextortion

The Internet Society of Ghana has resolved to roll out intensive education campaigns to curb what it terms as an upsurge in sexual predatory behaviour in Ghana's internet space, especially on social media.

According to the cyber security society, the reckless broadcast of nude pictures and videos of young girls especially for blackmail and extortion purposes ought to be discouraged.

A few weeks ago, for instance, a leaked sex tape involving a female police officer went viral on various social media platforms.

Several other women have fallen victim to the unhealthy conduct of the distributors of nude materials.

Finding a lasting solution to the menace and other social engineering attacks became dominant at a forum organised to mark the International Girls in ICT Day at the Kofi Annan IT Center in Accra on Thursday, 25 April 2019.

Speaking to Class91.3FM’s Blessed Sogah on the sidelines of the event, the Executive Director of Child Online Africa, Awo Aidam Amenya, explained that: "Once you release it [nude videos and pictures] through a medium, there's a high possibility of it being intercepted by someone else. This lack of understanding of how the space works with young people could also be the result of the upsurge in the case [of sextortion]".

She also underscored the need to equip women and young girls to safeguard their data and online privacy.

"So, there is a need for regular awareness creation and education in order to get people into the level of consciousness they need to have," she added.