Bangalore: The Data Security Council of India (DSCI), in association with Top 4 giants Microsoft, Google, Facebook and Kaspersky has launched the Indian edition of STOP. THINK. CONNECT. This was launched on the occasion of Safer Internet Day to help keep digital citizens safe online. STOP. THINK. CONNECT. refer to certain practices one should follow online. Stop refers to assess and consider, Think is to apply thought and finally Connect after due diligence.

According to a study done by Assocham and ComScore, India is one among the top 3 fastest growing internet markets in the world. Youth in their 20’s and 30’s who constitute the majority of the population, are driving this consumption the most.

There is another fact added to this. Online communities and websites are increasingly vulnerable to attacks. Last year, we saw how websites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Dominos were victims of hackers. They had to deal with the repercussions that came from their data being compromised and their security settings not being up to the mark. Symantec has also stated that cyber attacks will increase in 2013 and that Smartphones and cloud services will be on risk too.

Keeping this in mind, a campaign will take place very soon involving a college outreach programme in the top Indian metros – Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata. This is in the form of a Street Play Competition for college students. It has already begun on the 5^th of February in Delhi and will soon come to other cities. The team that presents the best ideated theatrical take on internet Safety will take home a cash award of 50,000. Fever FM is the radio partner for this campaign and the whole idea here is to take online safety and security seriously.

Speaking on this initiative, South Asia’s Kapersky Lab Director of Channel Sales Jagannath Patnaik said that internet users are exposed to greater risks with more than 200000 malware appearing every day. This could be reduced if the users take adequate security measures, understand the consequences of their behavior and actions and enjoy the benefits of the interest.

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