The people of the world are now enjoying the benefits of all the great achievements of science and technology in all walks of life. The present world civilization has witnessed unimaginable excellence in the field of information and communication as compared to many other fields. Our country is not behind. The various available means of social communication have brought the whole world under control. The role and use of these mediums such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Internet etc. is expanding day by day. With the help of simple smart phones and the low cost of internet, ‘Facebook’ is now in everyone’s hands. Dhaka holds the 2nd position in the world in terms of Facebook usage.
The first use of internet in Bangladesh started in 1993. At present the number of internet users in our country is more than 100 million. The use of post offices for personal communication has become a thing of the past several years ago due to the monopoly of Facebook. Facebook is used in almost all fields including study, business, office meetings, online based treatment, college-university admission and public examination results, job application, research, practice and exchange of literature and culture, social work planning and implementation. Its use and role in providing opinions on issues of national and international importance and in protesting against any irregularities, chaos and torture is also increasing.
In addition to all the great necessities like two backs of the same coin, various kinds of crimes are being committed using Facebook. In the language of law, it is better known as ‘Cyber Crime’. At present, it’s a big problem in Bangladesh. Cyber bullying, hacking personal and official IDs or pages, anti-social activities, fraud in the name of online business, sexual harassment, promotion of pornographic pictures and videos, fraud in the name of giving jobs, rumors and many more crimes are being committed on Facebook. The majority of users from teenagers to adults are young. And most of the victims of cyber crime are women.
Cyber Bullying: Cyber bullying is the act of presenting defamatory information on the Internet in an attempt to tarnish the reputation and image of an individual or organization.
Hacking: Stealing the password of personal ID or account and spreading illegal, obscene and vulgar statements, pictures or videos is now regular occurrence. At the same time, unethical financial benefits are also taken from the person concerned or his friends.
Sexual Harassment: Sexual harassment of women of different ages has taken a new form with the availability of online. In this case, obscene and sexually explicit messages, pictures and videos are sent to the messenger of the concerned woman. In addition, by attaching pictures of one person to another and spreading it through social media, the woman concerned is socially degraded. In the airy world, women are being humiliated by creating emotional relationships.
Fraud in the name of online business: In the age of globalization, e-commerce is now very popular all over the world. Its use and usefulness is increasing day by day in Bangladesh too. And a class of unscrupulous clique is capitalizing on the simplicity and trust of the people and is carrying on the business of deception in the name of online business. The supply of low quality or expensive goods by showing a product, collecting the advance price of the product through mobile banking and not supplying the product later is now a common occurrence. All the fancy deceptions are going on with the lottery.
Apart from these, money laundering in the name of giving jobs through social media, spreading baseless information and rumors about popular and important people and issues at different levels of society and state are daily occurrences. A class of criminals also tries to create chaos in the society by spreading religiously provocative statements. There are many more like it. The scope of uncontrolled cyber crime has increased the scope of child and female pornography. Due to which, the level of moral degradation of internet users is increasing day by day. Incidents like suicide are also happening. If this continues, cyber crime will become epidemic in the next few years.
Efforts are being made to control and eradicate cyber crime in Bangladesh by providing exemplary punishment like jail and fine to the offenders under various sections of ‘Information and Communication Technology Act, 2006 (Amended 2013)’, ‘Pornography Control Act, 2012’ and ‘Digital Security Act, 2018’. But due to various reasons the number of arrests is less than the number of crimes. The ignorance of the public about customary law is the main reason. Again, many victims, especially the lion’s share of women, are reluctant to take legal recourse even if they are victims of cyber crime for fear of social upheaval. Also often the real culprits cannot be identified or apprehended even in the absence of proper evidence.
Unbridled cyber crime is slowing down the laudable and timely initiative and enviable progress to make the country ‘Digital Bangladesh’ by 2021. A class of people is using the opportunity of free flow of information for the sake of personal gain. As a result, the scope of cyber crime is gradually expanding due to misuse of technology. But prevention is better than cure. So with the utmost caution and awareness in using the internet, it is possible to avoid the lion’s share of embarrassment. Everyone should be personally aware of sharing personal photos and important information, strengthening and keeping confidential ID’s password, not having unnecessary conversations or friendships with strangers, not indiscriminately entering groups or links, avoiding lottery or gift information, caution in using public WiFi, not liking or sharing pornographic and anti-state information.
Even after this, in case of any incident of fraud or harassment, the police will take legal action if they make a GD at the nearest police station along with the evidence (photo, screenshot, video, information). In this case, the ID should not be deleted. Because, then it becomes very difficult to catch the culprit. In addition to personal awareness, parents need to monitor adolescents. At the same time, the practice of moral values should be increased in the family and socially. The effective role of the government in curbing and eradicating cyber crime is essential. There is a need to raise public awareness on the proper use of the Internet using all possible means. There is also no alternative to increasing the use of trained manpower and advanced technology to catch cyber criminals.
In order to enjoy the benefits of the immense potential in the information and communication technology sector, it is necessary to ensure the proper use and application of online as well as eradicate cyber crime. The highest awareness and caution of the government as well as the general users is desirable. Only then the expected dream of building a ‘Digital Bangladesh’ will be accelerated.
(Abu Faruk is Assistant Teacher, Vagyakul Govt. Primary School, Bandarban).
