The Rehabilitation and Employment Unit at the Center for Urban and Regional Planning for Postgraduate Studies at the University of Baghdad organized an awareness workshop titled “Cyberbullying.” The workshop was delivered by Dr. Zahraa Salem Sabri, a lecturer at the center, and attended by faculty, staff, and postgraduate students at the center. The workshop aimed to introduce cyberbullying as a threat that involves using the internet to obtain money, information, or specific services using private photos or information. The workshop addressed forms of cyberbullying based on threats to publish photos or videos of the victim, and then blackmailing them with a ransom after impersonating a fake person to hack into accounts and threaten the victim via messaging apps or email.
Dr. Sabry pointed out that blackmailed victims are the result of weak online privacy protections, sharing sensitive information with untrustworthy individuals, and the use of suspicious links and weak passwords on the victims’ social media sites. The workshop concluded with several recommendations that focused on the need to use strong passwords, activate two-factor authentication, and not share any private information with strangers after ensuring the security of websites. It also highlighted the importance of reporting cyberbullying to the police immediately and not responding to the blackmailer after preserving all evidence such as photos and messages.
