Guwahati, May 20: With an aim to create a safer online environment, Meta has partnered with Assam Police to launch a Digital Literacy and Awareness program for adolescents and youth in Assam, which was launched at Royal Global University, Assam on Friday.
The program, We Think Digital, will focus on digital safety best practices and will provide easy access to youth to digital literacy awareness sessions, training resources, knowledge repository including child and adult safety self-help material, safety videos, resources, and help guide.
With the launch of this program, Meta aims to promote safe online behavior by spreading awareness around increasing cyber crimes and to equip adolescents with tools and resources to tackle the online harm. The training modules will focus on all aspects of cyber security and basics of digital literacy including browsing the internet, Cyber bullying, Sextortion, Darknet Services, Trolling, Identity Theft etc.
The event was graced by Secretary, IT Department, Assam, Ghanshyam Dass, and the Commissioner of Police, Guwahati, Harmeet Singh. Kanishk Gaur, Founder, India Future Foundation, Col. Sunil Kapila, Senior Adviser, India Future Foundation and Cyber Security Expert and Ms Ankita Nayak, Trust and Safety Lead, FB & IG (Central, East & North East of India) were also present at the event.
Sharing his views on the launch of the program, Commissioner of Police, Guwahati, Harmeet Singh, said, “To be safe, you need to #think. Social media is the new idiom of communication. We must navigate to stay safe. He encouraged students to use social media for the good parts and not give up on it altogether because of the bad side of it.”
He further said, “Follow good creative pages, learn and engage using social media platforms for learning creative arts and educating ourselves, rather than aimlessly scrolling and not getting the most out of it. The support from Assam Police is always there for reporting any issue or cybercrimes. He also asked parents to avoid sharenting as it invites financial cyber frauds.”
Addressing the audience in Assam, Ghanshyam Dass, Secretary, IT Department, Assam, encouraged students to double check before sharing any information on social media platforms, be it with friends or any known or unknown person after all prevention is better than cure.”
Built on Meta’s ‘We Think Digital’ initiative, this partnership aims to train around 10,000 youth from various schools and colleges in Assam. Previously, Meta has conducted similar training and programs in various schools and colleges across Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Assam. Meta’s ‘We Think Digital’ outlines the digital citizen’s rights and responsibilities, encourages them to think critically about their digital behaviour and interactions, and get the most out of the online world. Working in partnership with experts from across India, ‘We Think Digital’ provides resources to build a global community of responsible digital citizens equipped with skills for a digital world.
