The influx of information is at its peak. There is readily available information on any conceivable subject online. The speed with which information flows is remarkable but its credibility leaves a lot to be desired. So how do you tell if your news is fake?
Today marks World Consumers Right Day, an annual event celebrated to sensitize consumers on their rights and responsibilities. Laweh Open University College in collaboration with the Consumer Advocacy Centre of Ghana organized a forum to address how Ghana can ensure integrity of the digital environment.
The digital environment falls under a broad spectrum, Social Media is an ever growing area where both credible and fake news flies like wild fire with no sanctions and scrutiny. Open and distance education is another area which is rapidly taking shape in Ghana, just as E-Health, E-Banking and E-Commence.
The digital environment is here to stay but how can a consumer detect fake news or avoid getting entangled in a fraudster’s web. First and foremost don’t believe everything you see online; always ensure it’s from a credible source such as 3news.com then check, cross check and check again.
In the area of E-Banking and E-Commence, Maame Saa Oduro Frimpong from the Financial Stability department of the Bank of Ghana who was a speaker at the forum urged consumers to be vigilant in reading critically on all terms and conditions and be sure to contact financial institution to resolve any issues. She added that consumers ought to guard their PIN carefully and report a missing card as soon as possible.
Today is World Consumers Right Day, remember, before you consume, check, cross check and check again.
By Ayerkie Narnor|3news.com|Ghana