Moot cautions against radicalisation of youththrough internet

ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a conference on Friday highlighted the risks associated with the internet, especially the terrorist groups using cyber space for recruitment and radicalization of the innocent youth.

The one-day national workshop titled ‘Peace Building and Cyber Security Measures’ was organized by the Islamic Research Institute (IRI), International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), and the Federal Directorate of Education under the Maimaraan-e-Pakistan initiative.

The speakers said the Pakistani society is becoming progressively digitized and reliant on the cyber realm for communication and sustainable social development. They said the internet age has opened up new vistas for the advancement of information, news and entertainment in Pakistan, however little work has been done to teach the youth about the risks and responsibilities of being online and the pros and cons of the internet.

The speakers said the community has become highly dependent on this new technology but at the same time anti-state elements as well as criminals have also invented the faster techniques to use internet for their nefarious designs and to commit crimes. They said people, especially the youth in Pakistan, is not trained to understand the complexity of the online content. Highlighting the risks of hacking and misuse of personal information, they cautioned the young students about terrorist groups increasingly using cyber space for recruitment and radicalization of the youth.

While people are able to get information at their fingertips through cyber technology, negative elements also misuse the facility for cyber-bullying, identity theft and loss of private data, etc.