Call for internet users to be aware of cyber security

A bdnews24.com dialogue on ‘Safer Internet’ delved into the question of how many of Bangladesh’s around 48.35 million internet users are actually aware of cyber security.

The panellists at the discussion, held at Dhaka Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel on Saturday, were State Minister for Post and Telecommunications Tarana Halim, State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, RAB Director General Benazir Ahmed and BTRC Director General Brigadier General Emdad ul Bari.
 
Computer science teacher and researcher Dr Nova Ahmed and UNICEF’s communication, advocacy and partnership chief Shima Islam also joined the session as discussants.
 
Internet users from different walks of life also took part at the dialogue moderated by bdnews24.com Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi.
 
At the outset, Khalidi, while giving the statistics of the presence of Bangladeshis in the cyber world, stated that “internet safety” now became one of the most important national issues.
 
Citing some instances, the chief editor of the Bangladesh’s first internet newspaper emphasised the security and safety of internet data, personal safety and security, security of the organisations and security of society as a whole.
 
“Those of us who are honestly doing business of providing credible information are not secure either. In the name of disseminating news, misleading and harmful comments are being made in the social media. There is none to check them,” he said.
 
Information theft through internet had also vitiated the atmosphere of healthy competition, observed Khalidi.

“Many organisations are making money by stealing our contents. They are publishing contents that tarnish our reputation and are defamatory for our organisation. Our contents are being used by stealing and plagiarising.”

A documentary was screened at the start of the interactive dialogue, which highlighted negative experiences of using internet.

Bangladesh’s one-and-a-half decade long internet journey saw the number of users growing to 48 million, which is more than the entire population of 171 sovereign nations of the world.

The number is 31 percent of the country’s total population. Ninety-seven percent of Bangladesh’s internet users browse on their mobile phones.

Sixty-nine percent of Bangladesh’s total internet users are active in social media.

Sixty-two percent uses the internet for professional purposes, 56 percent surfs the web to read political news and only 26 percent uses it to get various government information.

The documentary showed that many of these users were not properly aware of the ways to secure their data.

Reject negative use: Mashrafe

A video message of the captain of Bangladesh national cricket team Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was played out at the dialogue, wherein he advised all to avoid negative use of the internet.

He cited the harrowing experience his teammate Nasir Hossain had faced when he posted a photo with his sister.

Mashrafe said, “Internet is now very popular in Bangladesh and it has both positive as well as negative sides.”

“We should not use the internet for negative purposes. We can avoid the negative aspects.”

In the discussion, State Minister Tarana Halim pointed out about how misleading and offensive comments were often posted on Facebook with political motives.