ElderSafe

Inspiration

1. Lack of Accessible Learning Resources: Online safety resources can be overly complicated or not specific enough for elderly users' needs.

2. Elderly users are at risk of cyber scams:
At risk of falling victim to online scams because of their limited knowledge, which could result in financial harm and identity theft.

3. Limited Digital Literacy: They find it challenging to grasp digital literacy, especially when it comes to comprehending secure websites, two-factor authentication, and encryption.

4. Unfamiliarity with basic online safety: Do not have a good understanding of cybersecurity basics, like recognizing secure websites, steering clear of unsolicited emails, and identifying scams.

5. Source in Arabic: There exist very limited sources on elder cybersecurity in the Arabic language (300 million native speakers).

What it does

ElderSafe is committed to protecting elderly individuals from the ever-evolving threats of online fraud. We understand that the digital world can be daunting, especially for those who didn't grow up with it, so we aim to make online safety accessible and straightforward.

1. Educational Guides: Step-by-step instructions and tips for identifying and avoiding common cyber scams.

2. Community Awareness: Regular updates and articles aimed at keeping users informed about the latest scam tactics.

3. Real-Life Examples: Case studies and stories of how scammers target elderly individuals, providing insights into prevention.

4. Support Systems: Guidance on what to do if one falls victim to a scam, including how to report it and recover from financial loss.

5. Interactive Learning: Uses real-life scenarios to engage users and reinforce understanding of how scams work.

6. Simple, Accessible Content: Information is presented in a clear, jargon-free manner, ensuring it is accessible to all.

7. Support and Recovery Resources: Offers practical steps to secure personal information and recover from scams.

8. Continuous Updates: Regularly updated content to address new and emerging threats.

How we built it

The website was built using WordPress.com.
Comics were created using Hugging Face website, and then edited by Paint.net.
Different plugins were used, for instance: Quiz maker plugin to create the quizzes, Snippets plugin to insert the HTML code, and EmbedPress plugin to insert the PowerPoint and PDFs.
Videos were created using Veed.io.
Videos were uploaded on YouTube before inserting them on the website to preserve the quality of the videos.
We used https://talking.network to generate voice with AI, using "Female, Cora" voice.

Challenges we ran into

Simplifying Complex cybersecurity Information into simpler terms for elderly.
We faced challenges issues with plugin compatibility, which impacted the website's functionality.
Maintaining site performance balancing features and design.
Adjusting the website for ease of use, for elderly users.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're proud in developing a user-friendly platform that enables elderly people to stay safe on the internet with interactive resources that are easy to understand.
We're proud of creating the ElderSafe website in Arabic and English, reaching out to more than 380 million Arabic speakers globally.

What we learned

We learned the significance of creating a user-friendly and easy-to-navigate website specifically for elderly users.
Presenting complex cybersecurity concepts to seniors must be done with care and attention to detail in both content and delivery.

What's next for ElderSafe

Issuing completion certificate after passing the quiz.
Add more interactive games to make it more fun.
Integrate a live chat feature for immediate assistance for the site visitors.
Adding social media sharing options to improve visibility and interaction.

Acknowledgement

Thanks to Dr. Gurdal Ertek for advising and providing hosting under ErtekProjects.com.
Thanks to Mr. Cihat Çetin for help with some of the WordPress technical issues.