Have you fallen in love lately? If you have not been in love, please stop reading. If you were in love and you have been jilted you can relate. As you would know, when you are in love, you have only one story: A love story. Nothing else matters. Nothing else would do.
The world can end and you would not even blink. Nothing else makes sense to you. You are the most sensible person on earth when you are in love. Throw in technology. Your love story takes on a different flight. You would become a different animal. You would stalk your lover. You would track the person’s movement. You would video their actions. You would send unwarranted emails, pictures, and messages. That is how technology influences your behaviour.
On The One Hand
In the age of artificial intelligence, your love would become dangerous. To test this thought, Kaspersky commissioned a survey recently. The interview polled 21,000 people. The result revealed shocking data about the extent of digital abuse. About 4,830 people (23%) of respondents had experienced some form of online stalking from their new date.
Aside, 7,140 people (34%) of respondents would conduct due diligence on the new love. These individuals would Google their lover’s name and activities. Background checks the person. Look at the social media accounts. To ensure the information shared tallies. Also, about 8,610 individuals surveyed (41%) admitted to doing so when they started dating someone.
On The Other Hand
This study discovered what most people would do in the name of love. Some would protect themselves to find love. According to 1,000 people interviewed in 21 countries, online daters are keen to take steps to protect themselves in the quest for love. Even with these love-struck behaviours, people are still vulnerable to an alarming rise in stalking and abuse. This abuse stems from risks posed by location settings, data privacy and oversharing.
In The Long Term
David Emm, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky explained that the Internet of Things, or connected world is brilliant and offers myriad possibilities. “But with opportunity comes threats and one of those threats of a connected world is the ease of access to traceable data which leaves us vulnerable to abuse.”
Emm said the victims of stalking are not to blame for the incidents. ‘Unfortunately, there is still a burden upon them to take steps to minimise risks. I think it’s great that people are taking steps to verify identities online, but I would encourage people to stop and do a quick check on any information, passwords, or data they share, to think through how that information could be used in nefarious hands.”
Anyway, the types of abuse are varied. Over 390 people (39%) of respondents reported some form of violence or abuse from a current or previous partner. Others have received unwanted emails or messages. About 130 respondents (13%) had been videoed or photographed without their consent. Many of the respondents admitted to being tracked and stalked.
The majority of the respondents are female: They had experienced some form of violence or abuse. Compared to male respondents (42% versus 36%). More of those currently dating had experienced violence or abuse compared to those in a long-term relationship (48% versus 37%). Many of the respondents are worried about the prospect of online stalking.
Emma Pickering, Head of Technology-Facilitated Abuse, and Economic Empowerment, at Refuge, said navigating online dating and virtual spaces can be challenging and social media and dating apps must implement verification processes, to help confirm that users’ profiles match their actual photos.
‘To my knowledge,’ Pickering said, ‘Bumble is the only dating app currently using this level of verification. I would love to see others adopting similar safety measures. Additionally, safety guides and resources should be readily accessible online in multiple languages, ensuring that vulnerable individuals have the necessary support without needing to register for an app.”
In The Short Term
The UK’s Online Safety Act has set a precedent by regulating platforms to protect users. We need the same regulation in Nigeria to guide against online stalking and technology-facilitated abuse. That way, anybody can fall in love anywhere, anytime, anyhow.
