Internet Safety is the most relevant and yet the most ignored aspect of our digital lives. Observance of Internet Safety Day is aimed at raising awareness on the same.
As internet-based services become a ubiquitous part of our lives, we are becoming dependent on the internet.
The Internet has brought the world closer, simplified technology and made our lives comfortable. It has percolated deep into our personal and social life, but unless we understand the web’s perils and raise our guard, we will be prone to being exploited.
Reluctance to adopt internet safety measures can bring about devastating impacts. The damage that malicious perpetrators on the internet can inflict on personal life is beyond imagination. Many have failed to survive the devastating experiences of the unsafe internet leading to depression, suicides, etc.
Goa’s women have achieved the highest mobile usage in the country of 91.2%, but alongside comes the necessity for them to keep themselves safe as cyber criminals find it easy to target them and kids.
Children are vulnerable to the negative impacts of the internet and it’s our responsibility to guide them on safe internet usage. The pandemic propagated online schooling, which has caused an invasion of the internet into their lives as they have become dependent on the internet for educational activities. We need to increase awareness of the dangers that prowl the internet world. Technology assisted restraints and monitoring of internet access of children is needed. The dangers of internet’s secretive dark world should be discussed in the public domain to make women and children aware of the vicious traps. The irreversible repercussions of identity thefts, cyber bullying, pornography, etc, should be discussed openly and steps to avoid them should be propagated by social media forums. Social forums and educational institutions should provide exposure of the methods used by cyber criminals to trap gullible users.
Goa’s IT Department is planning to collaborate with women’s forums & educational institutions and work towards increasing the awareness on the internet’s perils.
Banks and other financial institutions should step-up their awareness drives and embrace safer and updated technologies that will protect their customers from falling prey to online scams.
We must ensure application of strong passwords, multiple authentication protocols, use updated software, regularly backup data, avoid forwarding mass marketing contents and be alert to fraudulent activities. We should be careful while using open Wi-Fi, verify before sharing personal info or accepting social media invitations and avoid spreading malicious content. We should avoid personal chats, financial transactions on open Wi-Fi networks and express opinions with caution. Conscious rejection of online pornography, socially malicious content is our responsibility. Be sensitive before endorsing or posting on social media platforms, double-check the facts and that a single post can create chaos. When we apply restraint and discretion in our social media interactions we will become a digitally evolved society.
Let’s think before we click!
Internet Safety Day entails that each citizen is committed to responsible use of the internet. Let’s raise our internet awareness levels, respect cyber privacy and be responsible netizens of a proud nation.
(The writer is Goa’s Tourism Minister)
