aeCERT hosts an awareness workshop on Cyberbullying

28/11/2014

THE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) HOSTED AN AWARENESS WORKSHOP AT ITS DUBAI HEADQUARTERS. THE WORKSHOP WAS ORGANIZED BY THE TRA SUBSIDIARY BODY, THE UAE COMPUTER EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM (AECERT) AND CONCENTRATED ON THE TOPIC OF “CYBERBULLYING”. PRESENT AT THE EVENT WERE SOCIAL WORKERS FROM SEVERAL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY WHO WERE INFORMED ON THIS RISING PHENOMENON WHICH POSES A REAL CHALLENGE ON VARIOUS SOCIETAL SEGMENTS, PARTICULARLY TEENAGERS.

The cyberbullying workshop, led by Salah Khalifa Al Binjassim, Senior Business Consultant at TA3AWON Consultations, discussed ways of dealing with a multitude of negative elements that accompany the use of the Internet. Binjassim also identified the problems students are expected to face in relation to bullying from a cybersecurity perspective. The workshop agenda included a comprehensive introduction to the process of bullying, methods for the victim to identify the bullying, how to deal with a cyberbully and the best ways to help the families of the victims. In addition, other aspects of the topic were addressed including how to deal with the impact of cyberbullying, the importance of effective communication between all parties involved and issues pertaining to the parents.

“Maintaining the security, integrity and privacy of Internet users is a crucial priority for us, especially in light of the significant increase of smartphone use and social media engagement among our youth. We are well aware of the significant role that educational institutions play in raising the awareness of students about the potential threats and risks that arise from Internet use. As such, we gather them today in this workshop to inform them on how to reach out and protect young people from any cyber exploitations,” said H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansouri, Director General of mGovernment.

“Internet use and the reliance on modern technology is an integral part of our daily lives, requiring a clear and studied mechanism that knows how to deal with this reality by all concerned parties, specifically families and schools. Our role in mGovernment, as the entity responsible for the transformation into a smart government, is to work persistently along with relevant bodies in providing the highest level of protection and security for all Internet users. We reaffirm today the importance of having clear guidelines and rules on cyberbullying, so as to curb the spread of this phenomenon,” he added.

The cyberbullying awareness workshop is part of a series of activities and gatherings organized by the UAE mGovernment in order to spread knowledge about the deliberate use of information technology to harm others. More meetings and dialogues on this subject will be introduced in the near future with the presence of many specialists in the field, thus helping mitigate the adverse effects on a social and individual level.