ALLOW launches the UK’s first social media insurance

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Harriet Morgan

ALLOW is proud to announce the launch of the UK’s first social media insurance cover which will protect our members against the impact of reputational damage, account jacking and all other forms of ID theft. The cover, which has been put in place for the benefit of all of our subscribers from today, will pay for legal advice and expert support in the event of a claim and is included in our service at no additional cost.

We will now be offering up to £10,000 in professional fees and ancillary costs for any one incident in respect of identity theft or account jacking, or £3,500 in respect of any reputational damage that any of our subscribers sustain.

Why do I need social media insurance?

Facebook have reported that 600,000 accounts are hacked on a daily basis. Whilst the majority of these cases can be solved quickly and without repercussion, there are cases where account jacking can have serious ramifications.

Nicola Brookes, a 45 year old mum from Brighton, made the papers as after posting a supportive message about X-Factor contestant Frankie Cocozza, she was targeted by trolls. She received a barrage of abuse, and had a fake profile created in her name, which was used to damage her reputation. 

Facebook isn't the only social network that's been tied up in cases like this. In May this year, around 55,00 Twitter accounts were hacked in a single move.

There have been numerous high-profile cases of account jacking in the news recently, including Reuters, the singer Rita Ora and several high profile footballers. In Reuters' case, pro-Syria messages were posted. Rita Ora escaped relatively lightly with tweets designed to embarrass her and footballers had tweets packed with profanities sent from their accounts.

According to the CII, young internet users are concerned about the ability to control the commercial use of their name, image or other aspects of their identity. More than half (56 per cent) expressed an interest in protecting personal image rights through insurance cover. More than a quarter of young people (26 per cent) would consider social media insurance to safeguard their reputation.

What can I expect from ALLOW’s insurance?

In the event of your account being hacked you will be provided with dedicated case-workers and hands on support from a professional team from the moment we're informed.

Our team will act swiftly to regain control of your account and to remove offending material, guiding you through the process of repairing any damage.

Why not try our product for FREE? Find out more and sign up today!

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