The Psychological Counseling Unit at the College of Mass Communication, University of Baghdad, organized a workshop on new media as a means of raising awareness of the dangers of cyber blackmail. The workshop was presented by Assistant Professor Dr. Safad Hussam Hamoudi, a faculty member in the Department of Radio and Television, and attended by a number of faculty members and students.
The workshop addressed modern methods used in cyber blackmail, mechanisms for unauthorized access to cloud storage, and the risks associated with recycling abandoned mobile SIM cards and reselling them to other users. It also examined the risks of using generative artificial intelligence tools to create deepfakes and fabricate false content targeting victims.
The workshop, which witnessed strong engagement from students and attendees, presented several cases of cyber blackmail reported in Iraq using such methods, along with ways to confront them. It also provided a set of practical recommendations to help users avoid falling victim to non-traditional forms of cyber blackmail.
