India is a little lacking behind in the internet world. We do not have the best internet speeds and even people who have good speeds are few and far in between. This is however nothing compared to our internet protection, which is almost null in comparison. People do not know about proper internet security and for a country riddled with piracy, this is very dangerous.
As part of Safer Internet Day, Google India has introduced “Good to Know” along with Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) and Voluntary Organization in the Interest of Consumer Education (VOICE) to change that. It will be a nationwide campaign aiming at making people more aware about the security and dangers pertaining to online connections. The idea is to reach schools, NGOs and industrial groups in as many places as possible.
The campaign starts with a week-long series of educational events in Delhi. Following up, workshops will setup in different cities in the country- Guwahati, Kanpur, Lucknow and Pune.
These workshops will be organized by DEF and VOICE and will focus on digital literacy and online safety. With this, it hoped that people will better understand the dangers that need to be kept in mind while surfing online.
According to Chetan Krishnaswamy, Country Head – Public Policy, Google India- “Through the Good to Know campaign, we want to help equip millions of new Internet users coming online in India with the knowledge and tools needed to become responsible digital citizens. Internet safety begins with exercising meaningful choices when online, having an open conversation about it with our families, and teaching them the basics such as using strong, unique passwords and not sharing personal information.”
Besides DEF and VOICE, Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in), Indian Government’s agency dealing with cyber threats, Data Security Council of India (DSCI) and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), endorses the campaign.
In the words of J Satyanarayana, Secretary, Department of Electronics and IT, Ministry of Communications and IT- “This Safer Internet Day, let’s pledge to be responsible users of the Internet. This is an excellent initiative by Google, DEF, Consumer Voice and CERT-In to create awareness about the simple ways through which we can stay safe and secure online. I hope to see many more initiatives of this kind as an increasing number of Indians come online, especially the youth.”
Internet security is very important in today’s world. Many of our passwords are banking ones or important email addresses which, if in the wrong hands could cause havoc. I believe it is a great initiative and people should attend this in their respective cities and learn more about internet security.
