U.P. to rope in ‘digital warriors’ to combat fake news, cybercrimes


Image used for representative purpose only.

Image used for representative purpose only.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday (December 21, 2024) announced its plans to enlist social media influencers and college students as “digital warriors” to combat the circulation of fake news and strengthen the fight against cybercrimes. Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar, highlighting details about the initiative, said that the digital warriors will raise awareness about misleading news, train ordinary citizens against cybercrimes and publicise the campaigns of police.

The DGP cited a successful pilot project run ahead of Maha Kumbh Mela against fake news involving influencers and college students.

Also Read | Noida woman duped of ₹34 lakh, gets fake ED notices in case of ‘digital arrest’

“U.P. police launched ‘Digital Warriors’ initiative in 2018, which became active on WhatsApp. People from different sections of society were added as digital volunteers. In 2023, WhatsApp Groups were created enabling the state police to refute fake news and highlight the commendable work of the police. But there is a need to indulge young college students and social media influencers with the U.P. Police by making them digital warriors,” the DGP added in a statement.

The initiative will focus on training college and university students through workshops on the need to verify information, analyse them and report misleading news to law enforcement agencies. “By training college/university students, we can develop critical thinking skills, enabling them to analyze and verify information. These students will become digital warriors for U.P. Police and help report cybercrime and fake news. They will raise awareness about fake news and cybercrime within their families and social circles,” said the DGP.

Watch | How to protect yourself from cyber crimes

The Uttar Pradesh Police said it plans to establish ‘cyber clubs’ in schools and universities, with a teacher from each institution serving as the nodal officer. “Workshops and creative sessions such as poster-making, slogan/short-story writing, and social media content creation will be conducted through the cyber clubs,” Mr. Kumar added.



Source link

spot_img

More from this stream

Recomended

Rupee falls 1 paisa against US dollar in early tradeSensex, Nifty extend losses into 3rd session on foreign fund outflowsRupee falls 3 paise to close at all-time low of 84.94 against U.S. dollar250 करोड़ बजट और कमाई सिर्फ 70 करोड़, बुरी तरह टूट गए थे बोनी कपूर, FLOP फिल्म के बाद राज कपूर से कर डाली तुलनाA threat to Panama and a message to Elon Musk: Takeaways from Trump’s first rally speech as President-electIndian Rupee Decline: Rupee falls 12 paise to all-time low of 85.06 against US dollar in early tradeStock Market Today: Sensex, Nifty slump in early trade as U.S. Fed indicates fewer rate cuts next yearSEBI extends suspension of futures trading in key farm commodities till January 2025Footwear component making to play key role to meet industry target of $26 billion by 2030Rupee falls 14 paise to close at all-time low of 85.08 against U.S. dollarVikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director to interact with studentsIndian markets join global selloff as U.S. Fed indicates fewer rate cuts ahead; Sensex sinks below 80k3 killed, 6 injured as truck crushes people sleeping on footpath in PuneMarkets decline in early trade amid unabated foreign fund outflowsSix entities pay ₹3.49 crore to settle front-running trade case with SebiRupee recovers from all-time low, gains 10 paise to 85.03 against U.S. dollarBears tighten grip on markets; Sensex tanks 1,176 points; Nifty falls below 23,500 levelIndian equity benchmarks seen opening higher tracking regional peersWhat are the new interception rules and safeguards? | ExplainedSenior DCM receives ‘Ati Vishisth Rail Seva Puraskar’ award