Few days after lending its voice in support of the Twitter ban by the Federal Government, the ruling All Progressives Congress has cautioned Nigerians to shun the social media alternative, the Virtual Private Network (VPN).
National Secretary of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, in a statement last night said the VPN is vulnerable to the heinous activities of criminal hackers who can steal data and money in bank accounts.
The party listed the inherent risks to include data theft, illegal access to strategic company documents and possible economic espionage.
The party warned legitimate private and public entities operating in the country to avoid the many dangers of exposing themselves to cybercrimes through the use of VPN which is not adequately secured.
The statement issued last night further read in part:” This advisory is necessary because, despite the massive compliance by Nigerians to the federal government’s suspension of Twitter operations in the country, some individuals in the country have resorted to VPN to assess Twitter whose unwholesome activities were detrimental to peace and public order in the country.
“Those using the VPN are advised to desist in their own interests because of its risks, which include data theft, illegal access to strategic company documents and possible economic espionage.
“The APC emphasises that VPN users expose their devices to vulnerabilities because the network allows third parties access to personal data and changes user location to another country which compromises data integrity. Your record can be traced to another country that is not yours, with all the risks that entail.
“Many individuals and organisations using VPN have lost their investments after compromising the security of their devices. The APC strongly advises that Nigerians should avoid installing or using VPN to access social networking sites in order to protect their privacy and security online. This is in our individual and collective interest.”
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
No! TETFund Not Offering Nigerian Students N20,000 Grant
CLAIM: A website claims that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) is offering Nigerian students N20,000 grant. This is being sent to unsuspecting students as a bulk SMS with the name Tetfund2021.Adjust to Twitter ban, avoid VPN, APC tells Nigerians
Adjust to Twitter ban, avoid VPN, APC tells Nigerians
and then