With Study revealing B’luru’s trust for digital technology, expert advocates government intervention

Chandra Prabhu | NT

Bengaluru: Recently, a study conducted in Bengaluru Urban District suggested that most of the general public trust and believe in digital technologies.

However considering the spike in cyberfraud cases in the state, experts believe that the technology is being misused, and have expressed concerns about the risk assessments of digital technologies.

Cyber Security expert Dr Subhamangala Sunil explained that with lot of new advancements in the technology, there is no doubt that people are getting fascinated by it.

"Take, for example, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) where transactions are done without currency," she said, adding that the payee has no burden unlike paying in cash.

But the real concern is if the people really trust the advanced technology," she said.

Government intervention necessary to keep the trust

"I doubt the people know what's behind the mechanism of UPI," Dr Sunil said adding that there is also the lack of anticipation of cyber-attacks which is concerning.

Governmental intervention, Sunil claims, is minimal. "We need a monitoring system, and most importantly a Cyber Ministry to look after such threats. The study also revealed that the source of information for digital technologies is through word of mouth especially in Bengaluru, where people are more dependent on digital applications even to complete their daily tasks at home. The cyber expert pointed out that there is a need to strenghthen the cyber security.

“Informal sources are sometimes unchecked. If one gets defrauded, the police have no one to ask questions in this case,” she added.

To counter such instances, Sunil proposes three things.

“Firstly, a Cyber Ministry should be set up by both the state and central governments. Transfer of knowledge should be smooth, to ease solving cases.”

Educational institutions across the country should mandate cyber security into their syllabi, the expert added. “

If not, the purpose of the internet won’t be needed,” she reiterated. Finally, awareness amongst parents should be fostered, Sunil suggested.

“Parents should keep an eye on their children’s consumption of digital technologies. Sharing of information must be done only under their discretion,” she signed off.

A study conducted by Itihaasa- Digital Society in India - A Study on Urban Bengaluru earlier this month, advocates for education of digital technologies.

According to the study, 25% of those aged 18-24 are ‘less worried’ about using technologies. Around 45% of professional graduates in the study are more apprehensive in using these technologies.