The Internet has changed our habits, the way we behave as a society. It has eliminated borders, has connected everyone on the planet to each other, and has allowed new ways of organizing and collaborating among citizens.
But at the same time, it has also offered criminals a new environment in which to operate, which allows anonymity, and facilitates access to vulnerable people to harass, steal, cheat or extort.
Knowing the digital risks
There are a number of frequent risks when adopting technological tools and processes.
• Cyberbullying:
Currently, 26% of cases of bullying occur through YouTube, Tuenti, Facebook or Instagram networks have positioned themselves as platforms on which to quickly disseminate content, taunts and insults, new technologies have contributed to the dissemination of compromised images and videos, the victim's personal information and the hacking of personal accounts. What has made bullying cases more violent and frequent.
• Addiction to online gambling:
Unlimited access to online gaming platforms together with a population that has had a mobile phone before the age of 14 has caused that in just five years the numbers of online players have multiplied by three and the age of addiction has dropped to 16 or 17 years old.
• Identity theft:
Prior to the advent of the Internet, identity theft was a crime that was committed on a smaller scale. Today, criminals have access to a multitude of information about their victims, data that users themselves give through social networks and web accounts.
• Sexual content:
Sending sexual content or sexting is living its golden age thanks to new technologies and the emergence of instant messaging applications and social networks. In fact, it has become a common practice among adolescents from the age of 15 and more than half of young people have already practiced it.
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