NASSCOM announces cyber awareness month initiative in alliance with Mumbai police

As a part of its efforts to educate the public and private sector partners about the internet and cyber security, NASSCOM-DSCI today announced the “Cyber Awareness Month” initiative in collaboration with the Mumbai Police.  The initiative is aimed at building preventive measures to counter the increasing threats of cyber security through the notion of ‘Precaution is better than Cure’. As a precursor to this initiative, NASSCOM also held a workshop for academia in the city today, featuring notable speakers including Mr. Prashant Mali, Advocate, Mumbai, Mr. Harish Shetty, Psychiatrist, Mumbai, Mr. Sundeep Ballare, Mumbai Cyber Lab, DSCI, and Mr. Yogesh Thanage, Pune Cyber Lab, DSCI as well as officers from the Cyber Crime Cell of Mumbai Police.

As a part of the Cyber Awareness Workshop which is expected to be attended by around 200 school teachers will be addressed by the speakers on various aspects of cyber security including laws related to social media, internet addiction and related crimes, as well as suggestions to remain secure online. Another session is also planned for college teachers/professors.

Announcing the initiative  Nandkumar Sarvade, CEO, Data Security Council of India, said, “Safeguarding cyberspace has become a key priority for governments, businesses and citizens across the world. Countries have to take appropriate steps in their respective jurisdictions to create required laws, endorse the implementation of necessary security practices, and continuously educate both corporate and home users about cyber security. It is a global problem that has to be addressed by all stakeholders jointly. This initiative is a significant effort aimed at enhancing the role of industry in this space, both at the national and international levels”.

Cyber security is a multi-dimensional concept which includes many disciplines and fields from daily life. The amount of time spent by individuals online across the world is increasing each day. Parallely, cybercrime too has seen a rise globally as well as in India, across the years.  According to “Crime in India 2014” report published by NCRB, there has been an increase of over 65% in the number of cybercrimes reported under ‘The Information Technology Act 2000 (IT Act) in 2014 over the corresponding figures for 2013. Apart from the crimes registered under IT Act, there were number of crimes which involved usage of computers in commission of crimes, registered under the provisions of Indian Penal Code (IPC) & other special & local laws. A total of 7204 cases under IT Act and cybercrimes under IPC provisions were registered during the year 2014. It has therefore become imperative for all stakeholders to come together and create awareness around internet security and safety creating a safer cyber experience for the entire country.