Cybercrime and a lack of digital media literacy

 Recently, the spread of fake news on social media has become a significant cause for concern. This concern is well-founded in a world where inaccurate information has the potential to significantly impact individual and societal health as well as shape the future of nations. Lack of technological literacy, a loose term that encompasses the knowledge and skills required to effectively function in the online world, is one common reason why some people believe false information they read online. 

This line of reasoning says that people who don't know much about technology are more likely to believe hoaxes and spread them online. As a result, individuals who lack computer literacy may play a crucial role in spreading lies. This is the situation. However, very few studies have examined the possibility that a person's propensity to believe fake news is influenced by their level of digital literacy.

Even less is known about the possible connection between people's online content and their level of digital literacy. We set out to accomplish this because we are curious about the psychological aspects of internet disinformation and may discover some intriguing connections there. Very few people are prepared to confidently navigate the internet's information landscape.

The worldwide lack of digital media literacy has been linked to the widespread acceptance of online disinformation, which has prompted changes in educational policy and the development of technological infrastructure. There is a dearth of empirical evidence relating digital media literacy to this ability, even though it is critical to be able to spot fake news when it appears online.

The incomplete nature of the data we have about cybercrime is caused by several factors, including the police's lack of understanding of how to handle such cases and how parents and children adapt to devices and technology. Even though sophisticated hackers are frequently situated in a different nations can gain remote access to the bank accounts of their victims by tricking them into disclosing private information.

Until it is too late and their money has been stolen, the victims may not be aware that they are being targeted. Today's financial crime rings are made up of many different kinds of people, including programmers and eager insiders who would plant malware on a network in exchange for money.

Due to the proliferation of online e-commerce, finance, social media, and entertainment, as well as the myriad of strategies developed by tech giants for capturing data and expanding market share, approximately one in ten people were victims of fraud or cyberattacks in the previous year. Over the past two decades, Pakistan's urban youth's level of social media and internet literacy has significantly increased. A Global Digital study conducted by We Are Social and Hootsuite found that there were 76.38 million internet users in Pakistan as of January 2020.

However, only 37 million of these individuals used social media regularly. Although the vast majority of these incidents go unreported, experts in the field of information technology believe that the country's rapidly expanding social media and internet user base has also contributed to an increase in instances of cyber harassment. According to the most recent survey conducted by the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), a Pakistani advocacy and research NGO, approximately 40% of Pakistani women who use the internet have experienced harassment on social networking sites or messaging applications like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, or Facebook Messenger. According to the survey, 72% of Pakistani female social media users have experienced cyber harassment but are unaware of legal safeguards.

Online stories that are not true are considered fake news. They could come in the form of false or misleading information. They might disseminate inaccurate or misleading information. False or misleading claims that spread online without malicious intent are commonly referred to as misinformation.

Social media and technology are used to give the impression that fake news sites are legitimate. Advertisements that appear to be news stories may be sent to you by political parties and organizations to deceive you. While criminals use bots, or automated programs, to spread fake content through a network of fake social media profiles, This could give the impression that a lot of people have told a false story, which could give the lie more credibility.

Fake social media posts and accounts aid in the spread of misinformation. Occasionally, genuine journalists will publish this as fact. The line between fact and fiction begins to blur when something reaches the level of a news story. In fake news, strong, frequently skewed opinions are presented as facts. It can also target and persuade those who are most likely to hold these views.

This so-called echo chamber effect is amplified by algorithms, which are clever pieces of software that direct you to articles that are similar to those you've already shared. As a result, hackers frequently target these algorithms. Despite appearances to the contrary, many examples of false news are harmful, malicious, or even dangerous.

False information dissemination carries obvious dangers. For instance, if a person's home address is made public, they might be in danger. The dangers posed by disseminating false or misleading information are described subtly. The purpose of creating fake news is to alter readers' worldviews and, by extension, their actions.

If you believe fake news, someone else controls your thoughts and actions. In addition, in some jurisdictions, publishing and disseminating false information may result in legal consequences. Computer systems may be put in jeopardy if false or misleading information is disseminated. Fake news stories may serve as entry points for hackers attempting to steal your information.

An important part of identity management and data security is knowing how to avoid the risks posed by false information. One way to raise awareness about cyber security is to consider privacy before posting personal information or photos on social media. On social media, one can choose whether to make their posts visible to the public, only to friends, or only to those they have explicitly accepted as friends to protect their privacy.