Tigo rolls out superior internet security to fight cyber crime

Mobile telecoms giant Tigo and a pacesetter has rolled out an upgraded internet security system feature aimed at ensuring that the cyber security of its numerous customers is guaranteed. The system which virtually eliminates spam activities in customers� emails also reduces incidents of phishing such as password, credit card details thefts and unsolicited emails. Most often, communications purporting to be coming from popular social web sites, auction sites, banks, online payment processors or IT administrators are used to lure unsuspecting internet users who fall prey to the activities of cyber criminals. Phishing emails may also contain links to websites that are infected with virus or malware which could corrupt or erase data from user�s computers. The decision by Tigo to roll out such internet security features comes at a very critical time as the rising incidence of cyber crime in Ghana has earned the country the infamous number two spot on the league of countries with high incidence of cyber theft in the world after neighbouring Nigeria. Though Communications Minister, Dr Omane Boamah recently disputed the claim of Ghana being the second country in the world with the highest level of cyber crime, the real issue is not where the country lies but whether there is the existence of a high level of cyber crime in the country, which unfortunately cannot be indisputable. News abound in the country of young men, especially, making huge amount of purchases online with stolen credit card details of unsuspecting people who might not even be residing in Ghana. In an age when internet security has become one of the biggest worries of even the developed world, the network giant�s move is one in the right direction. The new anti-spam security system effectively cleans up all outgoing and incoming mails of Tigo Internet service users through Tigo�s network. Thus all harmful emails with the potential to phish or damage client�s IT systems are filtered by Tigo. Commenting on Tigo�s decision to take on the burden of ensuring its customers internet security, Gloria Adutwumwaa Frempong, Internet Offer Design Manager at Tigo says the move is to �ensure that customers who use Tigo's internet services for either social or business purposes can do so without having to worry about the security of their data."She added that this upgrade comes at no extra cost to consumers and will enhance Skyping experience on the network as well. Meanwhile, Tigo has taken another initiative aimed at improving the internet connectivity of its customers. The network giant has connected the Ghana Internet Exchange, a facility which allows local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Network Operators to easily exchange traffic within Ghana , thereby improving connectivity consumers. This facility will not only make internet connectivity faster for consumers and ISPs but also cheaper in the long term. The prevailing situation currently is that internet traffic from Ghana goes through an international exchange before coming back to Ghana thereby attracting international charges. The connection to Ghana Internet Exchange will greatly improve transit time and in the long term make internet connectivity cheaper. This increased speed and reliability means that Tigo Internet users who rely on high speed and low-cost internet connection can enjoy additional �value-added� services such as web content hosting, audio and video streaming, E-commerce, etc which hitherto have had to be sourced from international providers.