Following the shocking murder of teenage TikTok star Sana Yousaf, Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (CERT) has issued a public advisory aimed at safeguarding influencers, vloggers, bloggers, and digital content creators.
The advisory urges creators to adopt stricter privacy practices, warning against revealing live locations during streams, forming connections with unknown individuals on social media, or accepting suspicious invitations to events or private meetings.
According to the advisory, digital creators should treat their security as paramount. It warns that online identities and public visibility can invite serious risks in the real world, particularly in a climate of rising harassment and obsession-driven crimes.
Key recommendations include:
Avoid disclosing real-time locations during live content.
Use multi-factor authentication and strong passwords across all digital platforms.
Enable and review privacy settings regularly.
Do not open suspicious links or attachments.
Monitor messages and comments; report or block inappropriate or abusive behaviour.
If fake content (such as deepfakes) appears online, issue an immediate rebuttal and report it.
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CERT also emphasised the importance of responsible online conduct, warning that even routine digital interactions can lead to unintended exposure or risk if not carefully managed.
This advisory comes in the aftermath of the brutal killing of 17-year-old Sana Yousaf, who was allegedly shot dead inside her Islamabad residence on 2nd June by 22-year-old TikToker Umar Hayat, also known as “Kaka”, after she rejected his advances.
According to police, the suspect travelled from Faisalabad bearing gifts, seeking to meet her on her birthday. Upon being denied a meeting and after hours of attempting contact, he is alleged to have gained access to her home and fatally shot her. Sana reportedly tried to calm him, saying: “I’ll get you some water, relax”, moments before she was attacked.
The suspect was apprehended within 20 hours and has since been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days for identification proceedings.
The incident has sparked a nationwide conversation around influencer security, digital boundaries, and the urgent need for platforms and authorities to address the darker side of internet fame.
