Source | beforeitsnews.com

In the wake of exorbitant trends of digital piracy that have injured tremendous players, protection has become the first concern for production companies. In fact, even the most unapproachable film production companies are vulnerable to malevolent piracy; thereby, it is essential to take prompt action.

With such countless hands engaged with the film production measure, you need digital and physical content management and a security plan set up for security.

Innovation is pushing the entertainment industry to step up its game. Yet, film studios and television companies actually have their own beasts to battle, particularly during a time when content is the king.

In the past, the barriers to access pirated content were sufficiently huge to prevent watchers; pilfered content was hard to track down, and records must be downloaded from torrent indexing sites, which frequently contained malware and were inferior quality content. Once downloaded, the content at that point must be altered over and adjusted to be played on a TV.

Fast forward today, this has gotten considerably simpler, and viewers have more alternatives essentially.

Done botching around with records, viewers can browse a wide scope of sites streaming illicit pilfered content. In addition, the proprietorship and utilization of multiple cell phones, progression in fast broadband, and accessibility of low-cost storage have helped drive the consistent grade in digital piracy.

Albeit the content business has been able to shut down a few illegal file-sharing administrations, for example, Openload and Streamango, digital piracy is still as pervasive as could be expected.

As digital piracy has become simpler and more complex, content proprietors and merchants should be as careful as possible.

Moataz O Saleh, the founder of ‘Shield Consultancy,’ advises putting a proper Digital Rights Management (DRM) system in place. DRM is a typical defense solution used to secure against digital piracy. “This innovation limits unapproved duplication of content and empowers content proprietors to uphold licensing prerequisites. This protection is actualized by embedding code that keeps content from being distributed without authorization. It additionally limits the manners in which clients can acquire content,” he says.

As the mastermind behind ‘Shield Consultancy,’ Saleh is spearheading a mission to empower entertainment and media companies against the beast of digital piracy. Through the platform, he provides one-on-one consultancy services to top-notch cinemas, theatres, post-production companies, and media outlets to step up their security game, counteracting the issue of piracy. Specializing in digital content removal, digital anti-piracy protection, search engine takedowns, and security consultations, Moataz O Saleh strives to create an online realm that is free from the issue of piracy, costing millions to the entertainment industry.

He further recommends that post-production companies must do forensic watermarking. “Watermarking solution can be utilized to stop and diminish digital piracy. An obvious watermark assists with dissuading piracy, while an invisible watermark can help thwart pirate distribution. An undetectable watermark embeds unique data in a media document, for example, a video, which can’t be seen by the unaided eye yet can be handily distinguished by the watermarking detection system. Indistinguishable renditions of a similar piece of content can each be embedded with a unique watermark. This permits content proprietors to distinguish which explicit piece of content was leaked, and they would then be able to follow the break back to the individual responsible,” says Saleh.

No ifs, ands or buts, digital piracy negatively impacts the whole distribution network, from the creator, to the distributor, right to the consumer. Therefore, there is now a need of the hour for production companies to adopt better strategies needed to moderate and lessen the degree of digital piracy.

Source | dailylivenews.livejournal.com

A practice that involves the reproduction or unauthorized use of some other creator’s work is considered piracy- an act that many of us are accustomed to without being fully aware of the consequences it entails.

Unfortunately, the various forms of plagiarism have become extremely common among people and have made many people doubt the negative factors surrounding piracy practices. When in reality, there are several pieces of evidence present that state otherwise.

For years now, criminal networks have been thriving by reproducing, selling, or trading pirated and counterfeited goods- which has been heavily affecting the economy towards a negative spectrum. The reason being is because these products are not even the real thing and can hence cause a myriad of safety risks, which can often end up being life-threatening, especially when it comes to food items, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, and medical equipment.

In fact, according to the International Chamber of Commerce, it was estimated that the value of domestic and international trade regarding pirated and counterfeited goods in 2013 was about $710 to $917 billion. Additionally, it was also reported that the global value of digital piracy found in music, software, and movies was around $213 billion in 2013.

The common use of pirated goods has resulted in the consumer market to divide into two- one that believes that they are purchasing a genuine product while the other being well aware that they are buying pirated and counterfeited items. Those who are aware of the fake products usually buy them to attain a better deal for them in their respective market. Consequently, half of the economy is deceived into buying pirated products. In contrast, those who are more knowledgeable about fake items are less inclined to buy particular products that they believe are not genuine.

Moreover, it isn’t just the consumers who are getting harmed. Piracy has created many problems that have threatened the jobs of many middle-class workers and deliver a huge blow to some of the most creative individuals, entrepreneurs, or innovative organizations who are deprived of receiving credits for their unique creations.

Moreover, keeping in mind our econometric model, the ICC reports that the changing impact regarding the intensity of piracy and counterfeiting on economic growth has forecasted a percentage point reduction, which would be worth around $30 billion to $54 billion for 35 OECD countries in 2017.

On a more positive note, many organizations and policymakers are starting to notice the negative effects being implemented on the economy and have started to take action in order to reduce these disturbing impacts.

Shield Consultancy, founded by Moataz O Saleh, is one of the leading companies that specialize in a large range of business consultancy matters and technological information services that include digital reputation management, digital anti-piracy and design services, removal of content, cybersecurity investigation, and many more.

Shield Consultancy has been a major driving force behind empowering its clients with the information and knowledge to become aware of various aspects regarding piracy while also providing its consultancy services to industrial establishments, agencies based on scientific research, major trading organizations, and other diverse industries within the professional sector.

Source | bigtimedaily.com

One of the prime issues that broadcasters and service administrators face in the current environment is that shifts in piracy over the decade have seen it move from a post even process to a live one; from BitTorrent to Facebook Live.

Live illicit streaming of content over the Internet is becoming an emerging issue, particularly during major sporting events. This ends up being not just the greatest cost to broadcasters in this period of spiraling rights costs, yet it is additionally definitely one of the greatest targets. There are a few reasons why live streaming is turning into developing trouble. From one viewpoint, quicker broadband connectivity is prompting better picture quality; on the other hand, video is currently accessible on an assortment of platforms and second screens. Lastly, social media is going about as an accelerant: permitting customers to discuss what they’re watching continuously, enabling them to share the content with a friend there and then, in some cases — wittingly and unwittingly — widening the span of connection farms through these networks as they go.

“Due to their real-time nature and the manner in which they’ve been constructed by means of ‘hashtags’ and ‘likes’ to spread data rapidly in spreading patterns, social media platforms fundamentally affect content utilization and dissemination. Regularly those tapping on links probably won’t understand they’re going to a pirate site, particularly given the enhanced quality of pilfered streams and refinement of UI design — also the presence of genuine advertising,” says Moataz O Saleh, the CEO & Founder of Shield Consultancy. Honored by the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during the opening of the first phase of the New Administrative Capital of Egypt, Saleh stands as one reputed IT professional who is striving to battle against the rising issue of digital piracy.

The issue additionally worsens when you begin looking at what is happening inside a portion of Facebook’s group. A Business Insider report over the summer analyzed film piracy specifically on the social media platform. It revealed a range of groups with names like “Watch Free Full Movies HD,” which had enormous quantities of members (more than 80,000) and were working mainly in the open. They were sharing something beyond links as well, for certain films being hosted on Facebook’s server.

And while the BI report focused on motion pictures, live sports streaming groups on Facebook are growing in number. The group Live Streaming: All Sports TV, for instance, has 35,000 individuals, while another group that changes its name to feature the following event its carrying focused on Asian and Indian cricket matches has 79,000.

“The key takeaway, however, is that online media piracy on Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit is especially on the ascent. Content can be shared with blinding speed across web-based media platforms since that is the thing that they have been designed to do. The ‘’viral’ aspect of social media is now showing its adverse impact,” says Saleh.

From fake news to spreading hate speech, social media, all in all, has numerous issues with content, and it certainly requires immediate action to be taken. This implies that a compelling methodology for tracking, battling, and proving piracy now needs to evolve well beyond the basic demands of a takedown notice. Operators now need an anti-piracy that gives an insight about the content being pilfered and records the sort/classification of programming, the circumstance, the length, the area, the crowd, the utilization, and much more. This is precisely where Shield Consultancy comes into the picture, as one of the leading platforms in Egypt, specializing in a wide range of business consultancy and information technology service spanning cinema consultation, digital reputation management, cybersecurity investigation, digital anti-piracy, digital design services, digital signage solutions, and content removal.

Proffering its services to scientific agencies, industrial establishments, service sectors, major trading companies, as well as business people and individuals, inside and outside of Egypt, Shield Consultancy has emerged as one international standard company. Saleh shares that as established by a group of specialists, Shield Consultancy, aims to make the virtual world free from the menace of piracy.

Source | californiaherald.com

One of the critical aspects to understand is that maintaining good image results in a massive investment return. Your product or business should not be disconnected from the customer base. On the contrary, create a special bond with your customers and Internet users. Earn their trust over time. Little by little, a positive brand image is created. This is an essential asset to the company. It makes it possible to develop the capital of the company. Satisfied customers will then value this.

In other words, it is a virtuous circle. The more your image improves, the more you create a beneficial business climate for you. The consequence is that in the event of a crisis, “bad buzz” or other, the company will face the storm more easily for the simple reason that the foundations will be stable and the context favorable.

The importance of customer reviews

“Customer reviews have become decisive elements in a customer’s buying journey. We note that 88% of consumers consult it before taking action. They, therefore, tend to become vectors of profits. Hyper-competition has also favored the emergence of these opinions, which demonstrate authentic and transparent experiences. Consumers no longer hesitate to give their opinion, whether positive or negative, even if they tend to express themselves during dissatisfaction. Your e-reputation can be impacted,” shares Moataz O Saleh, an IT professional, businessman, the founder and CEO of Shield Consultancy. For his effective role in business consultancy, reputation management, and business growth, he was honored by the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during the opening of the first phase of the New Administrative Capital of Egypt.

Moreover, 74% of Internet users have already given up on a purchase because of opposing opinions. Conversely, 56% chose a company because it had positive opinions. The observation is such that companies must work to intelligently collect and distribute these precious opinions knowing that 7 out of 10 consumers will leave a review if asked.

Protect and grow your business

Controlling your data means avoiding having a bad image that can impact your sales. Customer reviews directly impact your business, as 80% of consumers research the web before purchasing a product or service. Also, 96% are sensitive to a company’s reputation. But it is also using the information collected on the internet to improve your business. Customer feedback, when constructive, helps improve products and services.

Concretely, one of the challenges of e-reputation is the guarantee of obtaining more customers. Besides, this positive image must last over time. Thus, you must be careful not to have a too volatile reputation, too changeable because this can refer to a lack of professionalism. Besides, consistency will guarantee your income regularly. This income stability will result in business growth and a substantial increase in your turnover.

Moataz O Saleh on how to master the challenges of e-reputation?

We had the pleasure of speaking with Saleh, who shared credible insights on reputation management with the internet being the playground. Saleh revealed key information from his own experience leading a company which primary helps businesses establish to profitability and sustain a sound reputation online.

Monitor your online reputation

First of all, you must monitor your online reputation at all times. The establishment of a monitoring process guarantees you to collect the necessary information. Without information, no strategy is possible. Thanks to this collection, you will know what is being said about you, how and on which channels. These can be very diverse: forums, blogs, social networks, etc. Secondly, this information gathering allows for the implementation of a valid strategy.

To carry out this watch, you will need to use specific tools such as Mention or Hootsuite. Today, there is too much data on the internet to try to do it manually. Specialized tools help you find information but also prioritize it to draw concrete lessons. The idea is not to be a spectator of information but to become an actor. It will be easier for you to react in advance, control information, clarify specific points with your customers and improve your products thanks to their feedback on the web.

How to improve your online reputation?

Harmonize your communication

The first step in controlling your image is to harmonize your communication. Indeed, the consumer must have a clear picture of who you are and what you do. Your speech should be the same everywhere. Working on the visual identity of your brand through the different channels to harmonize, it is essential. The interest is to be professional. On social networks, it is necessary to establish a specific strategy called social media. Do not hesitate to hire a community manager who will put in place a global strategy. If you do not want to hire, you can choose an internal person in the company who will undergo training to take care of your social networks.

Interact and respond to consumers

Having a positive image is essential, but it should not go without an active presence on the web. In order not to give a frozen appearance, your business must be dynamic. To do this, always interact with your customers.

This is done in several ways. When it comes to customer reviews, whether positive or negative, you should always respond to them. Reviews on Google are a priority because of its visibility. Thank customers who give a positive review. When dealing with negative reviews, stay calm. Indeed, a customer should never leave an exchange being frustrated. Therefore, put yourself in his shoes and try to find a solution to his request. When it is justified, apologize and admit your mistakes.

Produce content

You also need to produce content. The latter must be relevant, positive and of quality for Internet users. Consistency is also important. By continuously irrigating your content channels, you improve your SEO. You then become more visible to Internet users. Thanks to this content, negative opinions or content against you will take a back seat. Concretely, they will no longer be on the first page of search engine results.

If for you, these concepts remain obscure and abstract, call on an inbound marketing agency who will be able to advise you and help you in your marketing strategy.

Act from the inside

Finally, the work on your reputation must also be done internally. If your employees are discredited or if you are unreliable in the eyes of your suppliers, your reputation will be tarnished. This is the reason why, with them, as with customers, efforts must be made to improve your relationships. The well-being of all stakeholders in your business must be taken into account. Your suppliers, customers, partners, are in a sense, all pieces of the puzzle constituting your brand’s success or your business. This is the key for all of these actors to convey a positive image of you.

To get there, act on several levels. Be reliable and respectful in all your interactions. For example, be on time with suppliers. Your employees’ effort must also be substantial: seminars, after works, creation of a definite group around the company’s projects.

In short, substantive e-reputation work is carried out at all levels of the company and on all channels. To carry it out successfully, you have to take stock, establish a strategy and apply it. The guiding principle must always be to remain in control of your reactions and consider each player in your business’s success is essential.

Source | theamericanreporter.com

According to the DataProt, about $40 and $97.1 billion worth of losses from digital piracy impacts were reported from the annual global revenue within the movie industry. And that is just one of the many reports amongst millions of cases that can prove the dangerous pace these digital crimes continue to grow.

Unfortunately, not a lot of people are aware of the fact that digital piracy is, in fact, a crime that has severe consequences. Yet despite several actions taken against the culprits, digital piracy continues to plague the IT sectors and has become one the most major growing crisis on a worldwide scale.

However, companies like Shield Consultancy have been playing a significant role in suppressing the dangerous digital piracy impacts.

Moataz O Saleh is a highly distinguished figure within the IT sector. As a businessman and an IT professional, he founded Shield Consultancy- a company that revolves around offering various services to industrial establishments, trading companies, scientific agencies, and many other people in business residing on both within and outside of Egypt.

Consisting of highly qualified researchers and experts, Shield Consultancy provides a number of facilities to the public which involve investigation related to cybersecurity, digital anti-piracy, solutions for digital signage, content removal, and so much more.

Consequently, they have made a reputable name for themselves which have proved their services to be highly valuable and authentic enough for other business to consult for their services with the guarantee that their problems will be resolved by the end of the day.

One of the most common cases received by Shield Consultancy involves a large portion of cyber theft via digital piracy. Moataz O Saleh firmly believes that one of the many reasons why companies become victims of said crimes are due to their unawareness about what digital piracy is and the consequences that come about being involved in it.

So if you want to protect your company from digital piracy, allow us to be of some assistance. Below are a few tips that can help you counter digital piracy and keep your business safe from involved in a crime you do not wish to be a part of.

Watermarking

If you are selling your products, always remember to watermark them STRATEGICALLY. There have been many cases where products have been watermarked but still manage to get pirated. The reason? Hackers easily altered their watermark.

Watermarking solutions is actually an ideal method you can use to lower digital piracy. Many invisible watermarks are embedded with specific information in media files, which is impossible to be seen with a naked eye. However, this data can be detected via detection systems build for watermarking solutions. Consequently, it is now easier to identify which piece of information was leaked and how they can trace it back to the culprit behind the crime.

Fortify your Contracts and Licenses

It is crucial to keep in mind that your copyright values are firmly linked to the rights you are licensing.

Hence, it is essential that you audit all the license agreements under which you will allow others to distribute or use your publications in order to ensure that the terms and conditions of usage are crystal clear and are protecting your business from piracy and other kinds of illegal actions.

Source | businessdeccan.com

For consumers, the first vector of information today is the Internet. It is becoming a significant stake for your company’s image on the web. This is the reason why your business reputation on the web needs special attention. A simple Google search engine that should mainly hold your attention.

Digital reputation is expressed as the image returned and sustained by a brand, a company or a person on the web on its product and service or the perception that Internet users have of an online entity. Digital reputation has many synonyms: cyber reputation, digital reputation, web reputation, online image, which you can likely come across.

This digital reputation can either be beneficial or catastrophic for a company. Therefore, it is, necessary to keep a constant watch on what is said about your company or brand and put in place elements to control and improve it. Digital reputation is also reflected in setting up a global strategy through actions and implementing tools for the sustainability of your digital entity.

To begin with, where does your company’s digital reputation play out?

On search engines

Why take an interest in search engines? Because the first results that appear are essential for your reputation. These should, in no case, be filled with negative customer reviews. Companies must then do work on natural referencing or SEO so that the positive pages linked to their brand or companies are more visible on Google.

Online review platforms

The second essential place for your digital reputation strategy is made up of all online review platforms such as TripAdvisor, the Yellow Pages, Amazon, Yelp or even Zoover. Indeed, consumers increasingly rely on these reviews to make up their minds.

Thus, negative opinions can lead to the development of stubborn brand image and push customers to abandon a brand or discontinue act of purchase. This is why the opinions concerning you on these platforms must be numerous and positive. Be careful because the consequence of a bad reputation related to customer reviews is a significant drop in turnover.

Social networks

Social networks are used more and more today. Dedicated marketing tools represent an online public place essential to any web strategy for companies wishing notoriety and visibility. It is effortless for internet users to challenge a brand to ask a question or complain about a bad experience.

Also, on these media, information is obvious and passes quickly. Particular care must, therefore, be taken to the social networks fundamental to your business. For some, professional social networks such as LinkedIn will be the most important. For others, it will be mainstream networks such as Facebook or Twitter.

The important thing is to keep your target in mind so as not to scatter yourself.

Local SEO

Finally, what is called local SEO must be taken into consideration. The latter, as its name suggests, ensures the presence of your company at the local level. Take the example of a hotel or a restaurant. Many Internet users search for establishments closest to them via Google.

This is where two essential services come in, Google My Business and Google Maps. The first is your online business page on Google and can have a large number of reviews. For its part, Google Maps will use data from Google, including Google My Business, to enrich its GPS maps.

To be visible locally, it is imperative to consider the information contained on your Google My Business page in your strategy. So remember to regularly update your Google My Business page to optimize its effects.

What are the risks/consequences of a lousy digital reputation?

Mismanagement of digital reputation can harm significantly to your business. Rumors, brand denigration, lack of control over the information disseminated or even bad-buzz, the consequences can be harmful and irreversible.

When information shared on the Internet creates a buzz or bad buzz, the viral aspect takes its full meaning. You should know that viral content meets above all a human need: to amuse, educate, shock etc. In a negative case, which quickly arouses Internet users’ curiosity, the returns multiply, the information becomes distorted and becomes disproportionate.

Ultimately, poor management of digital reputation practices or an awkward post can affect your brand image and negatively impact your sales. So, is it better to accept your mistake, apologize and take advantage of your right to reply rather than let other people feed the wrong information? It is just as essential to respond to negative feedback rather than erasing it, at the risk of adding fuel to the fire.

Fortunately, reputation management is an area championed by professionals like Moataz O Saleh, an Egyptian IT professional, businessman, the founder and CEO of Shield Consultancy. He is a pioneer of digital reputation, helping some of the most diverse companies in Africa and the Middle East, mitigate their depleting reputation by deploying dedicated resources meant to restore their reputation and close connections with customers.

Saleh is also a business consultant with competencies in business growth, establishing, and building digital presences of businesses. In the last several years, he has brought his expertise and consultancy to set up a wide array of companies from the ground up to achieve break even and profitability.

Currently, Saleh is focused on eradicating piracy units over the Internet which are active in the piracy of movies, music, and other digital content in the Middle East. Saleh hopes to achieve a functional market, free of pirated content. His efforts are commendable in helping creators achieve projected revenues which are often thwarted by online piracy.

Source | seekerstime.com

The internet has led to the ascent of a bewildering copyright paradox. This refers to the ongoing situation of digital piracy that has led to the decline of the copyright world. With the ease of the internet, fans can exchange files over the Internet, plummeting the sales of cinemas. What adds fuel to the fire is the fact that Copyright law is feeble to end the surge of Internet piracy, which will before long eliminate any monetary incentive for creative work.

The Founder and CEO of Shield Consultancy, Moataz O Saleh, reveals that the proprietors of forums and sites that view the pirated content offer as much as 90 thousand pounds for these stolen materials. “However, this is a hidden as the trade that nobody knows the slightest bit about, and behind it many lying in wait, from inside and outside of Egypt, to hurt the Egyptian economy and filmmakers,” he says.

Moataz O Saleh is an Egyptian entrepreneur and a leading IT professional, honored by the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during the opening of the first phase of the New Administrative Capital of Egypt. Being the Founder of Shield Consultancy, Egypt’s leading business consultancy targeted at making businesses piracy proof, Saleh has proffered several prestigious projects an edge, including New Opera House Cinema 2019 Project, Digital Anti-Piracy (InParadox) Movie by SHIELD Consultancy, Digital Anti-Piracy (InParadox) Movie by SHIELD Consultancy and many more. Saleh additionally indulges in doing studies to reveal the emerging menaces in the world of technology.

Saleh clarifies how this trade hurts an economy that creates millions yearly for a large number of workers in the business. “Electronic piracy is a crime of a financial nature that appears as illicit behavior related in any capacity to electronic gadgets, which brings about advantages streaming to the criminals while the victim bears the misfortunes. The objective of these violations is consistently the robbery and theft of the data contained in these gadgets, or are frequently carried with the point of extorting individuals utilizing the personally identifiable information (PII) stored in their devices,” he says.

Globally and even in Egypt, the piracy of electronic content is punishable by law. In any case, the trade of pilfered movies and robbery of visual art production from cinemas is now the trend, where anybody can covertly record another film when it’s released to theaters utilizing an expert HD camera to sell for a considerable number of pounds.

Concerning ways by which movies are pilfered, Saleh elucidates that the conventional route is for an individual to go into a theatre, sit and tape the whole film with a high-resolution camera. “While the powerful technique used in modern attacks is that the pirate gains access to the film files inside the cinema and convert them into viewing copies. This empowers them to upload their content on the Internet. Another route is to copy the film documents onto CDs using a few programs that convert various formats of unencrypted files,” he says.

Therefore, Saleh remains at the forefront of cutting-edge technology to know about the tactics used by the pirates desiring to hijack the nation’s economy.

He emphasizes that producers should initially monitor cinema and not permit anybody to utilize their phones while films are showing. “It is also advisable that producers encode all movies before they are delivered to theaters inside and outside Egypt. Furthermore, they must learn the post-production process to encourage monitoring and spotting of unauthorized leaked duplicates. Likewise, producers and makers need to protect their own office by utilizing cybersecurity technologies, and furthermore acquiring quality security certificates,” he says.

Source | timebusinessnews.com

A study in which Moataz O Saleh Founder and CEO of Shield Consultancy , unravels how the trade of selling Arab social media pages and groups to foreigners poses a threat to our beloved Egypt.

Saleh explains that Facebook pages are created daily offering various kinds of content such as cultural, humorous, satirical and scientific, with the aim of gaining thousands of followers, some of which reach over a million daily active users from our beloved Egypt and other Arab countries.

The owners of some of these pages and groups with such electronic content are not looking for enriching Arabic content, delighting followers and viewers, providing valuable information, or even displaying goods or promoting them through Facebook pages, but are looking to gather the highest number of followers so that their page or group is in good order in terms of activity so as to attract advertisers. On the other hand, there are others who do this with a different goal in mind, which is to offer these pages for sale on foreign websites interested in buying and selling such pages. These websites also connect buyers and sellers and ensure the completion of the transaction by securing a commission on the sale of more than just a few thousand dollars.

When browsing such a foreign site, it is unfortunate to find hundreds of Egyptian pages and well-known groups displayed in exchange for thousands of dollars. Since these pages are in high demand, there are also many buyers on the site who bid to get them.

The biggest risk associated with these foreign websites is that most of those buyers are anonymous in that they do not disclose their identity on the site nor do they use their real names, but merely a nickname, which poses a threat to our beloved country, as some of them buy these pages to engage in objectionable behaviors by targeting certain public figures and countries, writing about them, poking fun at heads of states, as well as turning some people against each other under the pretext of humor by mocking and ridiculing their religion, daily life, or sports.

However, their ulterior motive behind buying these pages is to use them to spread their poison in our beloved country by exploiting the one flaw in Egypt’s national security, which is the electronic portal. There are also many pages that started spontaneously and gained a massive following overnight, pointing their arrows at the state and it’s unclear how this was done. So we took it upon ourselves to throw light on this not-so-visible threat that could result from this kind of electronic trade and lead to the misuse of sold pages and groups by buyers who have been lying in wait for an opportunity to wreak havoc on our society. And so we’re sounding the alarm before the dangers of this kind of trade befall us.

Source | timebusinessnews.com

Shield Consultancy has developed a consultation study after much research concerning the safe electoral voting project through smartphone applications in Egypt ready for immediate implementation upon testing.

Voting is done through an application that works through these phones, which are now available to most citizens of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

The CEO and founder of Shield Consultancy, Mr. Moataz O Saleh, hopes to implement this promising project in cooperation with the National Elections Authority and the security authorities of the Republic as the company creates and activates the application.

The importance of the idea and its inevitable necessity stemmed in conjunction with the state’s inclination to apply technology to facilitate all citizens’ services and to take an approach to facilitate daily life and improve the level of service.

Despite the concern of some about the misuse of the application and the concerns of lack of transparency or piracy, many believe that the use of technology should be encouraged nonetheless as it would result in increased voting rates and ease of participation in political life, consequently leading to positive results and tangible change.

Ease of voting does not compromise safety rates:
Mr. Moataz Saleh assuredly stated that there would most definitely be adequate protection programs in place to block the way for those who might think to tamper with the application or pirate it locally or internationally.

The application would be available for download through the “Google Play” and “Apple Store” apps. After downloading the app, the user creates an account, which requires linking the user’s electoral identification code to the driver’s license, as well as filming and sending a video of the user’s face -as the voting system uses face recognition technology similar to that of Apple’s Face ID- to verify that the face in the video is the true face of the voter registered in the voter registration database. It also requires additional steps and data for security and protection, including the user’s national identification number, as well as the phone number previously linked to the ID card and a live photo by camera to prevent account hacking or vote tampering and theft in a complex security system that is difficult to tamper with. After successful account creation and identity verification, the voter will be able to use the voting app to cast their vote in an election.

Election and voting are done through a smartphone application, but the voting system itself includes more than that. There is a database of voters that has been linked with the National Elections Authority and the security authorities that has also been prepared in a comprehensive electronic format. In addition, there is an electronic assignment of voters among the various election committees, as is the custom with paper-based electoral committees.

The candidates are distributed electronically to the electoral committees and districts to show the voter the names of the different running candidates in the electoral committee the voter is assigned to, and this will be done according to the highest standards of voter security.

A big portion of the electronic voting system works in the backend and is not seen by the voter who uses the application, and this portion includes the voter database, their electoral committees, and the candidates, as well as their electoral data and methods of verifying their identity, which in this case is face prints. The application also includes in the backend systems for receiving, counting and sorting votes and announcing results.

In the event that there is a double vote between paper and electronic, the mobile voting system is ready to provide all the voting data through all its stages to those responsible for the traditional paper voting, or merge the paper voting data with the electronic voting data to be entered in the sorting and counting systems and show results.

The CEO and founder of Shield Consultancy, Moataz Saleh, aims to launch this application to make it easier for voters to cast their votes without having to endure the unpleasantness of standing up and waiting in line. Recently, due to Corona, we noticed the reluctance of voters to attend the Egyptian Senate elections, making this a solution to raising the rate of voter participation.

In conclusion:
Saleh also confirmed that if this study is adopted, he will experiment with a sample of a thousand citizens using a complete simulation model of the Egyptian elections, in addition to activating a trial period that allows all the relevant authorities to study all the different possibilities before the actual application is released. Saleh hopes to adopt the use of technology as he realizes the contribution it can make to increasing voter turnout and raising participation rates to levels not seen before in Egypt.

Source | timebusinessnews.com

Piracy of electronic content is a crime punishable by Egyptian law. Nevertheless, the trade of pirated films and theft of visual arts productions from cinemas remains a trend, where anyone can secretly record a new movie as soon as it’s released to theatres using a professional HD camera to sell for thousands of pounds.

According to Moataz O Saleh the Founder and CEO of Shield Consultancy, the owners of forums and sites that view pirated content, in his study, offer up to 90 thousand pounds for these stolen materials. Yet, this is considered a hidden trade that no one knows anything about, and behind it many lying in wait, from inside and outside of Egypt, to harm the Egyptian economy and film producers.

Saleh explains how this trade harms an economy that generates millions annually for thousands of workers in the industry, explaining that electronic piracy is a crime of a financial nature that takes the form of illegal behavior related in any way to electronic devices, which results in benefits flowing to the criminal while the victim bears the losses. The goal of these crimes is always the theft and piracy of the information contained in these devices, or are often carried out with the aim of extorting people using the personal information stored on their stolen devices.

Regarding the ways in which films are pirated, Saleh revealed that the traditional way is for a person to go into a cinema, sit and videotape the entire film with a high-resolution camera, while the advanced method of modern attacks is for the pirate to access the movie files inside the cinema and convert them into viewing copies. This enables them to upload their content on the Internet. Another way is to burn the movie files onto CDs through the use of some programs that convert different formats of unencrypted files.

Saleh stresses that the main and fundamental goal of film piracy in the Arab world is to “hurt the film industry and its economy,” by recruiting people and websites that facilitate the piracy and circulation of films, adding, “There are sites that blackmail production companies to pay them in exchange for removing the film from their forums. There are also those who launch over a hundred fake websites that are being fully monitored, with the intention of deluding some producers into thinking that the film has been leaked on a large scale, giving them the illusion that the situation is uncontainable, and then using this to blackmail them by persuading them that the films can be deleted, when in reality these sites have no views and do not even appear in search engines. These “pirates” can be hackers, amateurs, or others simply looking to make some money by publishing pirated materials and making them available to all Internet users to earn huge sums through advertisements on their websites and blackmailing producers.”

He goes on to say, “For example, a large number of films this year have been pirated from inside cinemas using modern technologies that have never been seen before. International box office sales are also affected as they [modern technologies] have allowed for the making of high quality pirated movies as has been witnessed in previous years with the leaking and piracy of some of the most famous films in American cinema as soon as they started showing in theaters.”

Saleh also pointed out the arrival of modern technology capable of finding out the time and place the illegal duplication of copyrighted material took place. Because every film displayed on the cinema screen contains hidden symbols and codes from which information can be easily extracted by analyzing the pirated video, we can now determine the location of the theater where the film was pirated as well as the time it was played, anywhere, inside or outside Egypt, adding, “These technologies have made it easier to track people through modern technologies that identify any content filmed from inside cinemas.”

Saleh added that the other method not used in the Arab world, which makes the job easier for pirates, is when filmmakers distribute their different copies in cinemas without encoding them -which based on statistics, more than 75% of the films are not encoded in the different stages of production- facilitating the piracy of films with very high quality from inside post-production studios.

He explained that after the piracy of the film, filmmakers and producers resort to anti-piracy services firms to combat the piracy of electronic content because of their experience in the field, and also to anti-piracy specialists to do their part in blocking search links from Google, deleting content from YouTube and Facebook, and from various upload sites inside and outside of Arab countries, which contributes to reducing the size of the losses that they previously suffered as a result of the leakage of materials.

He stressed that filmmakers must first monitor cinemas and not allow anyone to use their phones while films are showing and that they must encode all films before they are delivered to theaters inside and outside of Egypt, and also learn during the post-production process to facilitate monitoring and spotting of unauthorized leaked copies. In addition, filmmakers and producers need to secure and ensure their own facility by employing cybersecurity technologies, and also obtaining quality security certificates. The advisory role that an electronics insurance company plays is to provide guidance and oversee the implementation of the necessary security for the facility.

Saleh also adds, “It is certain that the state plays a great role in preserving intellectual property rights and punishing violators of intellectual property rights as guaranteed by the constitution and the law, but the current law is faulted for the length of the routine procedures to be followed to report violations, transferring them to the prosecution, monitoring and tracking the hackers, and then conducting investigations. These procedures take nearly a month, which results in huge losses for filmmakers and producers due to the circulation of films and their spread all over the Internet. On the part of the state, some provisions of the law must be amended to increase the severity of punishment for piracy, the speed of catching the culprit, and also the speed of blocking websites that engage in piracy.”