There is a need to revise the entire spectrum of the media, including content, marketing and audience analysis — Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim
The Malay Mail Wednesday 12 OCTOBER, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR
Cyber-duped parents
news
7
Singer Ahmad Jais dies at 75
Only four out of 10 families aware of what children do online
By IKRAM ISMAIL ikram@mmail.com.my
ONLY four out of 10 parents know what their children are accessing on the Internet. Parents are also being duped into thinking their children spend an average of 11 hours a week online, whereas many are actually online for 19 hours. These were the startling figures disclosed by the Women, Family and C ommunity Development Ministry at the Child Online Protection Seminar at a hotel here yesterday. Its minister, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, said the figures were derived from the Norton Online Family Report (2010), which also showed nine out of 10 children had been, at some point, exposed to negative experiences while online. "Nowadays, children as early as four years old have the ability to do a double-click and drag movement like experts
GUIDANCE: (From left) Demi Ng, Amanda Given and Ellisha Pang, all 14 from SMK Sri Bintang Utara, perusing the Child Online Protection book launched by Sharizat
and parents should play an important role in preventing them from being exposed to dangerous elements in the cyberworld," she said. "We will cooperate with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector to identify the main online threats and on how to
protect children from them. "From the outcome of today's seminar, a new policy and law will be drafted to protect children in the cyberworld while accessing the Internet." Shahrizat, who also launched a Child Online Protection book to guide families on Internet-friendly experiences,
said the ministry planned to conduct programmes with parents and Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) to give them enough information to handle such situations. "We know parents are eager to learn more about this menace and we are ready to guide them because they must have full awareness to understand their role in monitoring their children," she said. The seminar yesterday comprised 13 sessions with speakers from the government, NGOs and private sector, including Interpol Malaysia's National Central Bureau assistant director Supt Gan Tack Guan, CyberSecurity Malaysia chief executive officer Lt Col (Rtd) Prof Datuk Husin Jazri and Childline Malaysia representative, Au Yong Wai Leem. The topics discussed included international cooperation to combat crimes against children, how children use technology, and managing Internet-savvy children.
Threats kids face on the net ● Cyber-bullying: When children are threatened, harassed, or targeted by other children using the Internet, mobile phone or other digital technology. ● Cyber-grooming: A process employed by child abusers to prepare a potential target for abuse by befriending and gaining the trust of a child. ● Identity theft: When someone uses your personal information accidentally disclosed or deliberately stolen, such as phone number or birth date, without your knowledge. ● Pornography: Children can be easily persuaded to pose in sexual positions with the right incentive and unknowingly become victims of child pornography.
KUALA LUMPUR
130 per cent increase in Internet crimes
IN the first nine months of this year, 11,930 cases of cyber crimes have been reported to CyberSecurity Malaysia, marking a whopping 130 per cent increase from the same period last year. "The sharp rise in the number of reports on cyber crimes is due to the increasing number of Internet users here and greater
public awareness of our hotline," said CyberSecurity Malaysia chief executive officer Lt Col (Rtd) Prof Datuk Husin Jazri, one of the speakers at the Child Online Protection Seminar held yesterday. "The top cyber crimes here are fraud, spam, intrusion, malicious code, cyber harassment, vulnerabilities report, denial-
of-service attacks and contentrelated attacks." Husin said according to the latest data up to the first quarter of this year, 61.18 per cent of Malaysia's population of 28.6 million are Internet users. "Nowadays, out of four emails received by an Internet user on a daily average, one email is likely to be fraudulent," he said.
"Of the 11,930 cases up to September this year, fraud makes up the biggest number at 4,175 cases." Next two highest are spam (3,452 cases) and intrusion (2,345 cases). "Last year, there were 354 cases involving cyber harassment, and happily none were perpetuated by children," said Husin.
"Still, we are glad to be working together with the Women, Fa m i l y a n d C o m mu n i t y Development Ministry to educate parents and children to stop children being victimised by cyber criminals while surfing the Internet." Husin urged those victimised by cyber crimes to email cyber999@cybersecurity.
PETALING JAYA
Engineers to tee-off for disaster relief training
THERE is nothing like a round of golf to help out a good cause. On Oct 22, RedR Malaysia is organising a golf tournament at the Tasik Puteri Golf and Country Club in Rawang, Selangor, to raise funds to train Malaysian volunteers for disaster-relief work overseas. The tee-off will be at 8am and the aim is to raise over RM50,000. "Through this event, RedR hopes to generate public interest in our activities, and network with interested organisations," said RedR treasurer
By FAIZAL NOR IZHAM faizal.nor@mmail.com.my
Nurul Fadillah Mazlan. Established in January 2008, RedR's main purpose is to recruit engineers for relief services in disaster situations all over the world. "We plan to send two to four volunteers to Australia next year, where RedR Australia will train them on two basic courses, namely, essentials of humanitarian practice (EHP) and personal security and communications (PSC)," said Nurul Fadillah.
"Eventually, we hope to gain enough skills and experience to set up our own local training programmes." RedR Malaysia currently has 52 registered members and organised seminars in 2007 and this year to introduce their causes to the public. Led by current president Datuk Ir Ahmad Husaini Sulaiman, they have also participated at international RedR programmes, conducted by RedR members in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the United
Kingdom, since 2007. "We are now also working to implement Training of Trainers programmes to train and register our own members for disaster-relief deployments," said Nurul Fadillah. RedR founder Peter Guthrie came up with the idea for t h i s n o n - g ov e r n m e nt a l organisation (NGO) when he was assigned to help in the Vietnamese boat people crisis at Pulau Bidong, Malaysia, in 1980. He realised there was a pressing need for various
engineering inputs in disaster situations, such as sanitation, water supply and infrastructure, and the necessity to start a register of engineers. The resulting organisation, known as the Registered Engineers for Disaster Relief (RedR), can be called upon at short notice to work with frontline relief agencies. For more on the golf tournament, contact RedR secretary Mohd Adnan Mohd Nor at mdadnan@redrmalaysia. org.my or at 019-3884 988 or visit RedR's website at www. redrmalaysia.org.my.
VETERAN singer Datuk Mohd Jais Ahmad (pic), popularly known as Ahmad Jais, died at the Darul Ehsan Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur about 9.20am yesterday, following what was believed to be lung complications. He was 75. He was buried at the Section 21 Muslim cemetery in Shah Alam. Ahmad Jais, who was popular with such songs as Selamat Hari Raya and Budi Setahun Segunung Intan — a duet with Kartina Dahari — had been admitted to the hospital two weeks ago after complaining of breathing difficulties. He is survived by five children. His wife, Mas Halilah Mas Nayeem, died on June 22, 2009. — Bernama
Police hunt man who shot driver POLICE are hunting a suspect who shot a doctor's personal driver before snatching a slingbag near a clinic in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur, on Monday. Sentul district deputy police chief Supt Othman Abu Bakar said they are trying to identify the male suspect and his accomplice, also a male. "Three witnesses have given their statements to police but the information can't help to track down the suspect. "The suspect wore a long sleeve shirt and a fully covered face crash helmet making it difficult to identify," he told Bernama. Othman said that a bullet was successfully removed from the neck of the doctor's personal driver, who is in stable condition at Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
Ex-Umno division chief cleared FORMER Kubang Kerian Umno division chief Mat Zin Awang walked out a free man yesterday after he was acquitted and discharged by the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya on a charge of cheating a company general manager of RM10,000, 11 years ago. In a majority 2-1 decision, a three-man panel led by Datuk Abdul Malik Ishak allowed Mat Zin's appeal to set aside the Gua Musang Sessions Court's 2004 decision to convict and jail him for two years for the offence. Justices Abdul Malik and Datuk Wira Mohtaruddin Baki decided for Mat Zin, now a businessman, while Datuk Azhar Ma'ah dissented. — Bernama