Maryam Muhammad Bawa
The Centre for Information Technology and Development CITAD, has trained more than a dozen female journalists from five Northern States of Bauchi, Kano, Gombe, Adamawa and Kaduna on how to stay safe online.
Nigerian Tracker reports that the training which took place in Gombe state is aimed at identifying threats and protecting the image of female journalists on the digital space.
The Campaigns and Communication Officer of CITAD, Ali Sabo stated this during the training program tagged “KeepingOurFemaleJournalistsSafeOnline’’.
He said that one of the objectives of the training is to raise awareness about safety and online privacy for women journalists and to also initiate them to join in the campaign.
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“This will go a long way in making female journalists appreciate the need to protect their privacy as a critical component of their digital rights online’’. He added.
Speaking at the event, a lecturer from the Software Engineering Department, Bayero University Kano Dr. Sanah Abdullahi Mu’az, said that technology has proven to be a fundamental factor to the socio-economic development of any nation and female journalists are important actors in that development.
Dr. Sanah added that women are regular targets when it comes to online harassments and cyber bullying which holds them back from exploring lots of digital opportunities.
“Neglecting to give women safety to these tools not only deprives them and their families of income, it also reduces the skill levels of the nation; it holds back the potential for economic growth.’’
After taking the participants through ‘Privacy Online and its Protection, Incognito Browsing and Personal Metadata and its Management, the Technical Officer of CITAD, Kamaludeen Umar said that Data Privacy and Protection is very important as everyone using the internet is prone to attacks.
“the unfortunate reality is that there are many people who have had bad things happen to them over the internet because they do not take online safety very seriously. This training therefore is just the beginning of our mission to see that that female journalists across Northern Nigeria are equipped with the necessary digital knowledge to have online freedom to carry out their activities”.
He added that in cases of online harassments, attacks and cyber bullying, CITAD together with some other Organizations like Kano Leads have their doors open to seek for justice for victims.
