EAGLE SCOUT | ISSUE NO. 22-20

NEWS | Kids’ ‘overconfidence’ in online skills cost them $101.M last year

26 Oct 2022

UNITED STATES – Despite being digitally savvy, people under the age of 20 are losing millions to online scams, which are usually facilitated via malicious links and QR codes. As frequent users of social media apps, they are more likely to engage with strangers online, making it easier for scammers to win their trust. READ HERE   

NEWS |The dangers of parental oversharing: Does a child’s right to privacy end with social media?

18 Oct 2022

SOUTH AFRICA – Sharenting, a fusion of ‘parenting’ and ‘sharing’, is the habitual use of social media to share news or images of one’s children. This can harm a child in numerous ways. Parents should be responsible for protecting and respecting their children’s privacy, which should not be outweighed by the parents’ freedom to share. READ HERE

NEWS | Prospective students affected by University of Otago data breach

19 Oct 2022

NEW ZEALAND– The University of Otago was alerted to a flaw in their data storage by a student magazine. For six weeks, most of their students’ personal information was exposed. They included home addresses, phone numbers, passport, visa, and citizenship information. READ HERE

FEATURE | Can a new type of cryptography fix the internet's privacy problem?

29 Oct 2022

UNITED STATES – The organization, Callisto, lets a sexual abuse survivor enter their name in a database together with the identifying details of their assailant, such as social media handle or phone numbers while these details are encrypted. It lets survivors determine whether their attacker is a repeat offender without revealing themselves to police or even identifying the abuser's identity. READ HERE

NEWS| Sydney teen accused of exploiting Optus data breach in a blackmail scam

27 Oct 2022

AUSTRALIA – Dennis Su, 19 , allegedly sent text messages to 93 Optus customers demanding $2,000 and threatened to use their information for financial crimes if they didn’t transfer the amount to his provided bank account. READ HERE