'Women more victims of harassment, pornography while men of hacking'

Women are more victims of harassment and pornography in social media while men are more victims of mobile banking and ATM card hacking.

Moreover, more women were deceived during online shopping than men, according to a study.

Voluntary organisation Cyber Crime Awareness Foundation (CCA Foundation) released the study titled “Cyber Crime Trends in Bangladesh-2022” at an event at Crime Association of Bangladesh (CRAB) in the capital on Saturday.

The study says 50.20 per cent of people are victims of cyber bullying. Spread of distorted images, pornographic contents, spread of misinformation in social media and mental harassment by threatening through SMS and online texts also saw a rising trend.

A trend of misinformation is on the rise in social media during post-Covid period and most of the victims are aged between 18 and 40.

According to the study, only 7.04 per cent of victims facing cyber bullying in social media received feedbacks after filing complaints to law enforcement agencies while 55.73 per cent of victims didn't get any results after filing complaints.

Monira Nazmi Jahan, team leader and senior lecturer of Law department at East West University, presented the research report at the event.

Presided over by CCA Foundation founding president Kazi Mustafiz, Internet Service Provider Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) director Shakif Ahmed, international professional association focused on IT governance ISACA Dhaka chapter’s former president Mohammed Iqbal Hossain, Dhaka Metropolitan Police additional deputy commissioner Sultana Ishrat Jahan, among others, spoke at the event.

CCA Foundation president Kazi Mustafiz said it is necessary to become aware before a cybercrime takes place since there is nothing much to do once something damaging happened in virtual world.

Shakif Ahmed said most of the internet users in anyhow became victim of cybercrime in the country, with children becoming the most vulnerable. Some 13-15 people of a family use a single internet connection at a time but not all of them are aware of the risk. There is no alternative to awareness.

Besides, some 12-15 thousand companies providing internet services in the country do not record the user log but that is also necessary, he added.

Iqbal Hossain said most of the victims and the criminals are aged between 18 and 30 whereas no data was found on the crimes taken place at institutional level. Currently, rumours became a serious concern and 80 per cent of published news, according to an international study, is false. For this reason, police administration will have to play more effective role in addition to awareness campaigning activities, he added.

ADC Ishrat Jahan Sultan said many cybercrime victims do not file a complaint but police must act abiding by law. So, everyone must be aware of legal remedies and anyone facing a cybercrime must contact nearby police station or Criminal Investigation Department (CID) office immediately, she added.

The CCA Foundation placed a set of recommendations including widespread cyber awareness campaign, emphasising cyber awareness in national budget and inclusion of cyber education in textbooks.