The challenges thrown up by the internet of late cannot be addressed by technocrats alone, said Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) Managing Director Elias George.
Addressing the valedictory session of cOcOn X 2017, Hacking and Cyber Security Briefing organised by the Kerala Police here, Mr. George called upon the authorities to create an ecosystem to keep criminal tendencies in the internet at check and make it a safer place. “Predators are increasingly taking to cyberspace, and unlike the real world, they can enter our children’s minds through computers and turn them around,” he warned.
Noting that around 80% of the country’s population was going to possess smartphones in the next three years, he said growing with such a trend would be the need to tackle malicious elements in the cyber world.
Speaking on the occasion, State Police Chief Loknath Behera elaborated on the plans to make the Kids Glove event, organised as part of cOcOn X 2017, a model initiative by roping in students from all schools in the State. “This will be developed into a programme wherein children will be taught what is good and what is not good on the internet. We have started working on the modalities of the scheme,” he said. Taking serious note of the rising number of crimes against children in the cyber world, Mr. Behera called for a universal extradition agreement for cyber criminals under the aegis of the United Nations.
“One can notice that every crime has got a cyber component with it, be it cell phones or CDRs. To report a cyber crime, there is no need for hacking to take place,” he said.
Manoj Abraham, IG of Police; Bessie Pang, executive director, Society for the Policing of Cyberspace; Cecillia Wallin, Criminal Intelligence Officer, Interpol; Parry Aftab, cybersafetyindia.org, and Manu Sakkariya were among those who spoke on the occasion.
