News

Instagram Fights Cybercrime With New Security Checkup Feature

Security Checkup is a new Instagram feature that helps users recover accounts which may have been compromised.

Published

5 years ago

July 21, 2021

instagram fights cybercrime with new security checkup feature

From politicians to small business owners to regular users, it’s no secret that Instagrammers from all walks of life are being targeted by cybercriminals. Now, Instagram is finally doing something to increase the security of its users.

On its official blog, the social media giant (Instagram is the fifth largest social network in the world when ranked by the number of active users) has recently announced the launch of a new feature called Security Checkup.

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The purpose of Security Checkup is to guide Instagram users whose accounts may have been hacked through the steps needed to secure them.

“This includes checking login activity, reviewing profile information, confirming the accounts that share login information and updating account recovery contact information such as phone number or email,” explains Instagram.

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Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, which is why Instagram recommends its users to enable two-factor authentication and login request, update their contact information, and report contact and accounts they find questionable.

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Instagram stressed that it never sends direct messages to users. Instead, the social network communicates with its large userbase only via email, and users can see all emails from Instagram in the Emails from Instagram tab in the settings menu.

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Likewise, users should exercise caution when messaging with people they don’t know well, even if their accounts have been verified. “Over the past few months, we’ve seen a rise in malicious accounts DMing people to try and access sensitive information like account passwords,” Instagram clarified.

Also Read: 4 Upcoming WhatsApp Updates You’re Going To Love

While the Security Checkup feature isn’t the solution some users have been hoping for, there’s no doubt that it’s a step in the right direction. Hopefully, Instagram will maintain its focus on cybersecurity and keep increasing the security of its users, helping them defend themselves against cybercriminals.

News

Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

Egypt’s telecom regulator says $57.6 billion moved through more than 57 million wallets in six months. And one operator handled 77% of the value.

Published

4 days ago

September 12, 2026

Nour Nasir

egypt's mobile wallets are booming but cash still has power

Egypt’s mobile wallets handled EGP 2.96 trillion ($57.6 billion) in transactions in the first half of 2026, according to the National Telecom Regulatory Authority – a 56% rise on the EGP 1.90 trillion ($36.9 billion) recorded a year earlier. Transactions grew faster still, up 62% to 2.22 billion, while registered wallets climbed 23% to 57.01 million.

On one reading, that is exactly what Egypt’s regulators have been pushing for: a payments system that runs through telecom-linked wallets rather than banknotes. But the same data shows how far cash still reaches into it. Cash withdrawals made up just 12% of the transactions taking money out of wallets, yet 75% of the value withdrawn or spent.

Money arrives mostly from bank accounts: transfers through InstaPay accounted for 78% of deposit transactions and 58% of the value deposited, while incoming remittances from abroad made up 3% of deposit transactions but 10% of their value. Once inside, it largely moves between wallets – wallet-to-wallet transfers accounted for 54% of all transactions and 67% of total value, with mobile and internet top-ups a distant second at 25% of volume. In effect, the wallet is serving as a transfer layer: the place money passes through between the bank account and the banknote.

That layer also runs predominantly through one operator. Vodafone Cash held 53% of registered wallets and 57% of active ones, but handled 69% of transactions and 77% of their value. Its nearest rival, e& money, held 23% of registered wallets but 14% of transaction value; Orange Cash 20% and 8%; WE Pay 4% of wallets. How many of the 57.01 million are active is not stated.

Also Read: Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon

Adoption is rather uneven in other respects. Men held 38 million wallets, or 67% of the total, against 19 million held by women. Users aged 26 to 45 accounted for half of all wallets, and Cairo alone had 10.6 million, or 19% of the national total, with Giza next at 6.5 million.

The NTRA says it is continuing to work with telecom operators on the regulatory framework for wallet services, part of a wider effort to expand electronic payments and financial inclusion. Its own figures show that effort succeeding on the way in. On the way out, three-quarters of the value still leaves as cash.