Tips-to-ensure-a-safe-and-secure-online-shopping-experience

Tips to ensure a safe and secure online shopping experience

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Shopping online can be such an easy, and convenient solution and save us so much time, but it’s important to be aware of potential security risks. Here are some key tips to ensure a safe and secure online shopping experience:

Shop with trusted retailers:

  • Stick to established and reputable brands or stores you’re familiar with.
  • If you’re exploring a new store, do some research to check for online reviews and ensure they have a legitimate presence.

Look for website security:

  • Verify the website address starts with “https” and has a lock icon in the address bar. This indicates the site encrypts your information for protection.
  • Avoid entering any personal or financial details on websites lacking these security features.

Secure your payments:

  • Credit cards generally offer better protection compared to debit cards for online purchases.
  • Consider using online payment services like PayPal or Google Pay for an extra layer of security.
  • Avoid unconventional payment methods like direct wire transfers or sending cash through mail.

Be cautious with deals:

  • If a deal seems incredibly good, it probably is. Be wary of unrealistic discounts that could be a sign of a scam website.

Avoid public Wi-Fi:

  • Public Wi-Fi networks are not secure and can be vulnerable to hackers. If possible, avoid making online purchases while connected to public Wi-Fi.

Practice good password hygiene:

  • Use strong, unique passwords for your online accounts.
  • Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for added security whenever available.

Stay vigilant:

  • Don’t click on suspicious links or download attachments from unknown senders, especially in emails claiming to be from retailers.
  • Be mindful of what information you share online. Only provide details essential for the transaction.

Use a VPN

A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, acts like a secure tunnel for your internet traffic. It encrypts your data, making it scrambled and unreadable to anyone trying to intercept it. This is especially helpful when shopping online for a few reasons:

Encryption Shield: When you use a VPN, your credit card information, passwords, and browsing activity are all encrypted. This makes it much harder for hackers to steal your data, even if they manage to infiltrate the network you’re on (like public Wi-Fi).

Masked Location: A VPN hides your actual IP address, which can reveal your location. With a VPN, websites will only see the IP address of the VPN server you’re connected to, offering an extra layer of anonymity.

Potential Price Benefits: Some websites might show different prices based on your location. A VPN can allow you to connect to a server in a different region and potentially see different prices. However, keep in mind that this practice might violate the website’s terms of service.

Important to Note: While VPNs offer security benefits, they’re not a foolproof solution. It’s still important to follow safe shopping practices like using trusted websites and secure payment methods.

Fake News and misinformation

Fake News & Misinformation

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Fake News and misinformation

Fake news and misinformation have become a global issue that we can help fight together.

It’s the age of technology, and we are all active online. The internet has been a place of discovery, connecting with friends, customers and building our businesses, an area of education, and staying informed about news and events worldwide. COVID-19 was an unexpected curveball that thrust into our lives. The restrictions on physical contact and connecting face to face rendered many of us lost, isolated and finding ourselves reaching out and trying to connect even more online. After all, we are humans and crave contact with each other. Most of us didn’t realise that there has been an influx of fake news, misinformation and that the tools we use to contact, share and connect online are becoming weapons, targeting us whilst tracking our data.

Social media makes us happy, angry, it has many emotional triggers, and as humans, we like to share. Often sharing is triggered by emotion before we have had the time to think about what we are sharing. False news hijacks our emotional response and uses this reaction to gain milage on sharing and reaching more people.

We come across these adverts and videos that seem like real news broadcasts, but we don’t know that they are “deep faked” or “shallow faked”. These are editing terms for distorting video with rendering software that manipulates facial features and clones voices and mimics expressions of real people. The AI (Artificial Intelligence) is so advanced in some cases that you can’t tell the difference between the real person and the “deep faked” video generated by the AI. The AI gets better and better at learning and mimicking. A “shallow fake” is identified in some cases by glitches or slight imperfections in facial expressions or imperfect voice cloning. These are the more advanced fake news and misinformation techniques. Other more basic methods are cutting information and photoshopping images to look like they are from legit sources. Some information is from old stories that get repurposed to gain a response in a current event. For example, an image of a crowded beach on Christmas last year (before COVID-19 regulations and laws) gets used this year to get a reaction out of people and paint an image of people not wearing masks and breaking protocols currently. This misinformation can cause all sorts of panic and emotional responses, and the news spreads faster and faster with each share.

What to do when faced with possible fake news or misinformation?

When you find yourself feeling emotional about a particular piece of information that has made its way to you, take a minute to pause and cool down and think before you share. Ask yourself a few questions.
Who made it?
What is the source?
Where did it come from?
Why are you sharing this?
When was it published?

A small share can have significant consequences.

Take Care Before You Share

Useful resources: https://www.takecarebeforeyoushare.org/

Useful websites for Fact-Checking possible fake news

Here are a few websites you may find useful for checking false news, suspicious articles and information before you consider them as valid information. Think before you share.

Google Fact Checker

Fact-checking – Africa Check – AfricaCheck.org

Fake News – Factcheck.org 

How to report fake news and misinformation online: 

To report a fake news post on Facebook click here 

To report and Reduce the Spread of False Information on Instagram click here

To report inappropriate content on Youtube click here

To report a Tweet, List, or Direct Message on Twitter click here

To report a contact or group on WhatsApp click here

Recognize and Report Spam, Inappropriate, and Abusive Content on LinkedIn

Report inappropriate content on TikTok

Entrepreneurs Workshop

Saysha Till – Guest Speaker at the Margaret Hirsch Entrepreneurs Workshop

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Entrepreneurs Workshop

It was a pleasure to assist businesses today at Margaret Hirsch’s Entrepreneurs Workshop Session on Social Media with LinkedIn expert, Este Pretorius a Client Attraction and Growth Specialist.

 

What to do during lockdown

Tips of what you can do for your business whilst on lockdown

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It’s tough for many business owners and employees through this lockdown period; we all feel a bit disconnected and lost in uncertainty with COVID-19. There are a few things that we can do during lockdown to reconnect with each other.

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Google My Business

Limited Google My Business functionality due to COVID-19

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During the unprecedented COVID-19 situation, we are taking steps to protect the health of our team members and reduce the need for people to come into our offices. As a result, there may be some temporary limitations and delays in support as we prioritize critical services.

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find your local business on Google My Business

Google My Business- Make it easy for people to find your local business with your free Google listing.

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Here’s a free handy tip to help you get more business and exposure online – Make it easy for people to find your local business with your free Google listing.
Your listing appears right when people are searching for your business or businesses like yours on Google Search or Maps. Google My Business makes it easy to create and update your listing – so you can stand out, and bring customers in. https://bit.ly/2D6d3uP #google #seotips #immortalartdesign ??