Like many others, I admit to being addicted to the web. Initially when the Worldwide Web hit India and subsequently my city in India, I did not pay much heed to it. I had never been an IT enthusiast and had other pastime activities to engage in after my regular studies. Also, computers in those days (talking about the early 90s) were not easily accessible largely due to their high prices. I recall my best friend introducing me to Hotmail on his home computer. That day, I had my personal mail ID created and I still remember writing my first e-mail. What an experience it turned out to be!
Browsing in those days was expensive. Although, I loved spending more and more time on it, it turned out to be an expensive taste. Cyber cafes used to charge a whopping 40 to 60 indian rupees (depending upon the speed or how fancy the café looked) per hour and that was a considerable sum. So I had to restrict my urge to be online to once a week or ten days.
How times have changed! In the wake of communication revolution that India has witnessed in the last decade or so, I can browse from the comforts of my study room at broadband speeds and at half the cost that I talked about earlier. No wonder, the world has indeed become a smaller place.
However, the downside there is to every such phenomenon, the glory surrounding the Worldwide Web is also marred by an evil truth. Cyber crimes such as online frauds, pornography etc. have gently spread their wings. Although there are numerous illicit activities that can be performed in the disguise of a web site, blog or simply online chatting, the most offensive happens to be pornography.
The other day on the Oprah Winfrey show, the invitees were some teenage girls who had their personal websites hosting their titillating pictures and other obscene content. These girls, barely in their early 20s were stinking rich and obviously showed no signs of remorse or regret. Although when on a TV show, they could pretend that this was their need and that there is nothing wrong with it (we are not hookers, just posers being the argument), the fact is that moral values have degraded to such an extent that these girls barely out of school look for such easy means to make money and obviously attain perverted pleasure (and still not feel guilty about it).In India, this form of pornography is still unheard of but you do read about pimps involved in flesh trade show casing girls on cheap web sites or blogs to lure the prospective customers. Tons of such lewd websites act as references for our youngsters who are looking for some real information about a topic considered a taboo even today. Adding to the woes are cell phones with cameras and permission to use them in some schools and colleges. Then there are web sites selling pin hole or spy cameras (the kind that can be hidden) using which any pervert or peeping Tom would catch you in your most private moments.
The problems with tracking such crimes are that you cannot trace the identity of the individual or groups behind them. Everything is anonymous and the most you can do is track the IP address of the computer. Cyber laws are being discussed but sadly only within the confines of the news rooms when in reality, schools and colleges should be the realm of such discussions. The importance of sex education for the young can hardly be emphasized (by the way the touting about it started decades ago and still it is not a part of our standard school/college curriculum).
The Information Technology Act was passed by both the houses of Indian parliament in 2000 in recognition for a need to have cyber laws governing the use of IT and mainly to tackle cyber crimes. But success cannot be achieved unless we understand two things: One, that this is a problem which is only going to grow faster than we think (new porn sites are added daily) and second, that only we as parents, brothers, sisters, and responsible citizens can take the initiative to limit the menace, if not fully eliminate it. The key is awareness and observation. Watch your kids, spend time with them, educate them, and keep their raw mind engaged.
Let’s face it. Worldwide web is a reality whose positives far outweigh the negatives and it is here to stay. Censorship of the content on the websites, blocking them, registering the cyber cafes and punishing them if their premises are used to indulge in illegal activities are some measures that need to be undertaken in utmost sincerity.
So far, we have only concentrated on advertisements and shows on satellite television which frankly do not contain even half the objectionable content as is available on the Web.
That is the real threat and it is only getting bigger and smarter.
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