Cyber safety should be part of school syllabus: Delhi Cyber crime DCP

New Delhi: Cyber crime awareness should become part of the school syllabus, a top police officer has said, pointing out that frauds and thefts in the virtual space still do not shake up the common man as much as muggings and robberies that happen in streets or homes.

Hemant Tiwari, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of Delhi's cyber crime unit, told PTI that a huge jump had been noticed in cyber crimes in the past one-and-a-half years and it may rise more in the coming years.

"Crime against cyber property will see a rise and a time may come when each district will have more cyber police stations than traditional crime police stations," he said.

As people are conducting more and more of their business digitally, and lot of money is stored virtually on phones and computers, thieves too are moving from the physical world to the virtual space. Yet, the common man does not seem to have grasped or acknowledged the great potential for fraud in cyber space.

For this, awareness is required than changing the law, Tiwari said.

"There is a lack of awareness about cyber crimes. For example, if you are travelling in a crowded train, you will keep checking your purse because you know that it could be stolen by pick pockets but one does not apply this (caution) on cyber space," Tiwari said.

Citing another example, Tiwari said most people are unaware that they can lock their Aadhaar cards.

"Even I was not aware about it but when a case came in our unit, I got to know that one can lock it," he said.

Tiwari said a cheater can misuse Aadhaar card by opening an account and use it for fraud.

"If you have locked your Aadhaar card it cannot be misused. What I want to say is that there is a lack of awareness. Even our Gen Z does not know how to manage their personal data on social media.

"The parents don't tell their teenage children about whom to befriend or not to befriend on social media. When children are going to school they tell them everything including good touch, bad touch and how to be cautious of strangers. Do they ever tell them about cyber hygiene?" Tiwari said.

Stressing that awareness has to be created right from the start, he emphasised that cyber safety should be in school syllabus.

"What happens is that schools invite cyber experts one or twice a year and they talk about cyber safety. But things will not change like that. Cyber safety awareness should be a part of school syllabus. The way we caution our children about good and bad habits in the offline space, the same should be done for the virtual space," he added.

If a stranger is trying to approach you on social media, do not befriend them, he said.

"You should always keep your profile restricted. If you are a model or celebrity, it makes sense for it to be public but if you are a common person, your profile should only be restricted for your friends and family," he said.