The American Space at the American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB) hosted a lecture on “Building Digital Resilience and Defending Against Online Harassment,” delivered by Programs Manager at the “National Democratic Institute,” Mr. Saddam Sami. A group of high school girls, as well as AUIB students, attended the lecture and learnt of online hazards, how to recognize them at an early stage, and how to guard against them.
Director of AUIB’s American Space, Dr. Rick Roberts, welcomed the attendees and invited them to engage in American Space’s various programs covering diverse themes such as public policy, literature, and seminars with diplomats and specialists in different fields.
Ironically, deep immersion in the digital world has become a reality that is difficult to escape, as it has become a prevalent social norm, such that whoever chooses to stay out of the virtual world or decides to break free from it suffers relative social isolation. Hence, knowledge of threats to individuals, institutions, and various organizations in cyberspace has become necessary, along with ways of early detection and mitigation, says Mr. Saddam Sami, elaborating on the types of harassment campaigns and their objectives, among them being defamation, intimidation, manipulation, extortion, and revenge, targeting average persons and public figures alike, and different kinds of institutions and associations. Mr. Saddam Sami stressed the importance of documenting acts of virtual harassment, including the dates and times of which, as a necessary first step in countering harassment campaigns.