Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Police will launch an awareness campaign to monitor cybercrime cases. The instructions in this regard have been received from the central Ministry of Home Affairs, additional SP (cybercrime) Narvir Singh Rathore said during a weekly human rights webinar in Shimla.
He said in Himachal Pradesh that the number of cybercrimes is on the rise, with men being the victims in most cases compared to women. In 2021, as many as 8,500 cybercrime complaints were registered in the state and 77% of the victims were male.
The weekly webinar on human rights was organized by Umang Foundation. Rathore said that internet facilities and cybersecurity have now been determined by the highest court as a matter of fundamental rights. He said that there are 72 crore people using internet in the country and of these 67% are men.
He said that about 62% internet users use social media, but most of them do not know how to use it safely and become vulnerable to cybercrime. Highly educated people, including professors, doctors, engineers and civil servants, also fall victim to cybercriminals through ignorance, Rathore added.
He said that in Himachal Pradesh, 95% cybercrime is committed from other states and abroad. Criminals can create any person’s voice by using artificial intelligence to trap innocent people. He advised the young people not to click an unknown link on email or social media, as this could damage their system, data and savings in the bank.
They should take precautions when using free wifi facilities in any public place. Never share the passwords and other personal information with others, as 90% of cybercrime victims are themselves to blame.
He said the Interior Ministry has ordered all state governments to launch a cyber awareness campaign. He said Himachal Police would begin the campaign soon.
The webinar organizer, Sanjeev Sharma, said about 80 students from universities and colleges of Himachal, Chandigarh, Delhi, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar participated in the program.
Ajai Srivastava, chairman of Umang Foundation and human rights activist, proposed a training program for trainers to train the ICT teachers of schools. Trained ICT teachers can up-skill other teachers to connect with schoolchildren who are more vulnerable to cybercrime.
