National-level plan to face cyber space challenges sought

ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a workshop here on Wednesday stressed the need for a national-level strategy to face the challenges arising from cyber space and to ensure that people, especially the youth, do not fall prey to the agenda of the enemy.

The workshop, organized by the Beaconhouse School System, was attended by a large number of students, teachers, parents and cyber security experts. In their speeches, the speakers said that subversion on religious, sectarian, ethnic and social issues through a soft offensive by using internet and the cyberspace needs a comprehensive counter strategy to ensure that people do not fall prey to the agenda of the adversaries. They maintained that the role of academia and education in cyber security is integral for effectively facing the challenges. They said even on bachelors and masters level education, the quality is not optimal to produce cyber security experts, adding that quality of curricula and syllabi must be enhanced to meet the latest challenges.

However, they cautioned that whereas the need of action and policy for cyber security is essential, there must a balance between security and legal rights of citizens.Trainer of the workshop Asfand Ausaf apprised the participants as to how negative elements misuse the cyber space by cyber-bullying, identity theft and loss of private data. Highlighting the risks of hacking and misuse of personal information, he cautioned the young students about terrorist groups increasingly using cyber space for recruitment and radicalisation of the youth.

On the occasion, different videos were also played to raise awareness among the students, teachers and parents about darker and inappropriate side of the internet and the need to adopt methods of safe internet browsing. Brochures on Paigham-e-Pakistan declaration were also distributed during the ceremony besides award of certificates among the participants.