The news of frequent victimisation of women and children in cyberspace is not surprising indeed especially in a country like Bangladesh where most of the online users are amateur in computer literacy. According to Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), 70 percent of the victims of cybercrimes are women. Reportedly, more than 32 per cent children who have access to internet face online harassment.
Cyber threats may become pervasive in individuals just because of a lack in capacity of handling such threats. Reportedly, more than 100 million people in Bangladesh currently use internet. It needs to be mentioned that cybercrimes have increased particularly during this pandemic which led to a rise in the number of internet users. According to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, from January 2020 to August 2021, the number of internet users has increased by 26.21 million in the country, Considering the emerging number of online users and continued efforts on affordable access, cybersecurity needs to be integrated in every aspect of policy and planning.
There is a need to deploy special
cybersecurity watchdogs and equip
them with advanced technology
As computer systems have become fundamental to the daily functioning of businesses, organisations, governments and individuals, we have been compelled to put an implausible amount of trust in these systems. Despite being an amateur in computer literacy, we do not hesitate to preserve our valuable information in them. Thus, we may be victimised by the cyber criminals at any moment and that is why information revolution is often termed as a double-edged sword.
The government should look forward to playing an effective role in making the digital world safer. Mechanisms so far used for cybersecurity should be made more inclusive, and the question of rights and freedom in cyberspace needs to be duly addressed as well. Bangladesh needs to frame updated cybersecurity policies, create adequate infrastructure and foster closer collaboration among all those involved to ensure a safe cyberspace. Also, there is a need to deploy special cybersecurity watchdogs and equip them with advanced technology.
Cybercrime is an emerging threat and no one is fully secure these days. Therefore, we need to know how we can control cybercrimes with continuous monitoring and act accordingly. The government should formulate and implement the right policies and cyber laws that will make cyberspace a safer place for all.
