Threats on the Internet

Toddlers in strollers seen fiddling with the iPad and children as young as five given smartphones by their parents – that’s the reality with children today. Which leads to another reality, that children are getting online access almost anywhere, any time and at a younger age, making them vulnerable to potential cyber dangers

If you think you are a hands-on parent in full control of how long your child spends online and the content they are exposed to, think again.

The Norton Online Family Report 2010 released by the American antivirus software company shows that Malaysian children spend an average of 19 hours a week online – eight hours more than their parents’ estimation.

The report further finds that six out of 10 parents are unaware of what their children access on the Internet, and that an overwhelming number of Malaysian children (90%) have been exposed to negative experiences online, which affected them emotionally.

Common cyber threats encountered by children are bullying or harassment, which includes the posting of mean messages on Facebook; the dissemination of harmful photos or false viral videos; cyber-grooming, a process employed by child abusers to court potential victims by befriending them and gaining their trust; identity theft; and pornography.

“Those with criminal intent know that the ability to reach out to children is more effective via cyberspace. They use the element of fear, trust and lack of knowledge to win them over,” said

Lt-Kol (Retired) Prof Datuk Husin Jazri, chief executive officer of CyberSecurity Malaysia, an agency under the aegis of the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry.

Admittedly, there are various parental controls in place, such as softwares that block explicit sites or videos, and the option for the strictest privacy settings on social networking websites. However, with many children being even more Internet-savvy than their parents, these filters and controls are easily circumvented.

To address the issue of cyber safety for children, the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry recently organised a Child Online Protection seminar involving government agencies, Interpol, the private sector, academicians, parents and non-governmental organisations. (Also involved was Malaysia’s first national helpline for children, 15999Childline, a nonprofit, confidential 24-hour telephone service for all children under 18 who need information, protection and care.)

The seminar was aimed at drafting a strategic masterplan to give online protection to the estimated 11 million youngsters below the age of 18 in the country. The plan will adopt a two-pronged approach in tackling the issue – looking at laws and policies, and having awareness programmes for parents and children on potential dangers and how to avoid them.

“All these efforts are in tandem with our Child Protection Policy,” Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil had said after launching the event in Kuala Lumpur.

“The online realm is a whole new world and we have to be prepared. Children do not want to go into dangerous areas but they need guidance to protect them from such exposure.

“Parents also thirst for ways to protect their children and they need to know the dangers lurking online like cyber-bullying or the misuse of children’s personal data,” she said.

Also launched at the seminar was the Guide To A Family-Friendly Internet Experience that contains tips and advice for parents to understand and take appropriate action against cyber threats faced by their children.

The guidebook, published jointly by DiGi Telecommunications and CyberSecurity Malaysia, will be distributed to schools.

Prof Husin revealed that the number of complaints received by his agency via its Malaysia Computer Emergency Response Team (MyCERT) from January to September increased by a whopping 130% over the same period last year.

(MyCERT operates the Cyber999 Help Centre, a public service that provides responses to computer security-related emergencies as well as assistance in handling computer abuses, hack attempts and other information security breaches.)

Norwegian experience

Also present at the seminar was Ola Jo Tandre, director of group corporate responsibility at the Norwegian-based Telenor Group, DiGi’s parent company, who shared about the global telecommunications provider’s role in Norway on online child protection services.

“Child sexual abuse is a global problem. In terms of online safety, it’s not about protecting children as consumers but protecting them from becoming victims. Organised, hardened criminals are actually creating child sexual abuse materials through them to sell on the Internet,” said Tandre.

“In 2004, we started looking at the company’s role in preventing sexual abuse among children because technically, as a company, we provided the tool that served as a platform for paedophiles,” he added frankly.

The following year, a Norwegian legislation was amended in the country, empowering the company to block mobile and computeraccess by its subscribers to sites that contained child sexual abuse content (which includes child pornography).

By blocking access to these sites, the company hopes to restrict the market for such material and prevent accidental access by Netizens.

To date, the filter has been adopted in Sweden and Denmark as well.

Cyber-bullying is also a significant problem in Norway.

“Children can be quite nasty to each other. In Norway, 66% of children have experienced digital bullying in their social circle, and more girls than boys use their mobiles for bullying,” said Tandre.

In Norway, he added, such messages can be blocked from being sent out to a child and instead diverted to the recipient’s parents’ email accounts. If need be, the parents can go to the school and raise the issue with the sender’s parents or the principal.

“Now, bullies have added range in the cyberworld and can reach out to so many more people instantaneously,” he said.

Zaiton Idrus, DiGi head of corporate affairs, said many children who are victims of cyberbullying do not tell their parents as the kids see it as a sense of failure.

“So part of our role is to educate parents on signs to look out for in their children as victims may show changed behaviour,” she said, urging parents to keep abreast of technological advancements and the latest features like privacy settings on Facebook.

Sumitra Nair, the company’s head of business environment management, said at the end of the day it is all about creating awareness, education and empowering parents and children with the right level of information (about online threats and safety measures).

“In Malaysia, the main threats are cyberbullying, cyber-grooming, identity theft and child pornography. We want to equip parents with the right tools and knowledge of how they can keep their children safe,” she said.

Added Zaiton: “Companies can provide all the software tools but kids must want to be alert and practise discernment themselves. Parents can control what the younger kids do and access online, but it’s difficult with teenagers, who tend to be rebellious. Our role is to convince teenagers that all this is for their own good. Parents also need to get to know their children’s friends, including those on social networks, especially if they are not from school.”

In Singapore, the National Crime Prevention Council launched a virtual world game in April to promote cyber wellness among children. The game, called Cyberonia, was developed by a multi-agency committee of government bodies, NGOs and experts.

Cyberonia is where kids are engaged by self-directed learning through play and are exposed to the many facets of cyber wellness and safety like cyber-bullying, safe social networking and proper “netiquette”.

The programme targets 11-year-olds and is due to be introduced in all Singapore primary schools by this year.

On a global level, Childnet International (www.childnet-int.org) is a non-profit organisation based in Britain that works in collaboration with other groups around the world to help create a safe Internet environment for children.

It provides a wide range of award-winning online projects, programmes and also offline education resources for parents, teachers and children.

For example, its Kidsmart project is an award-winning Internet safety programme website for schools, young people, parents and agencies. Run in schools throughout Britain, it features resources that include lesson plans, leaflets, posters, activity days and interactive games.

To report their complaints, victims of cyber crimes in Malaysia can call, SMS or email MyCERT, which operates the Cyber999 Help Centre. For details, go to mycert.org.my.