Cyber Crime and Cyber Terrorism

INFORMATION AWARENESS AND BETTER EDUCATION
The extant literature points to the fact that lack of awareness and useful information 
around the risks involved as well as privacy and the implications of our behavior 
quite often leads to increased risk specially when it comes to children and teenag-
ers. In a research carried out by Innocenti Research Centre (IRC) and published by 
UNICEF titled: “Child Safety Online Global challenges and strategies,” in 2011 
serious concerns are raised about lack of understanding of issues and risk associ-
ated with children using the Internet and making information about themselves so 
publically available. The report goes on to state:
Concern is often expressed among adults about the risks associated with posting 
information and images online. Hence, much research starts from the premise that 
posting information is in itself risk-taking behaviour. Young people are indeed 
posting information that adults may find disturbing. A wealth of evidence from 
across the globe shows that many young people, particularly in the age range 
of 12 to 16 years, are placing highly personal information online. In Brazil, for 
example, surveys indicate that 46 per cent of children and adolescents consider 
it normal to regularly publish personal photos online, while a study in Bahrain 
indicates that children commonly place personal information online, with little 
understanding of the concept of privacy.

---

136
CHAPTER 11
ICT as a protection tool against child exploitation
The report further notes that:
In addition, significant numbers of teenagers are uploading visual representations 
of themselves that are sexual in tone. This is sometimes in response to grooming 
that involves encouragement to place such images online, which may be followed 
by blackmail or threats of exposure to coerce teenagers to upload increasing num-
bers of explicit images. But in other cases, the initial placement is unsolicited, and 
may encourage and attract potentially abusive predators.
Clearly while the reach and use of social network grows and posting highly per-
sonalized information is viewed as “normal” there needs to be much better education 
as well as a more responsible social network protocols governing children use.