Safer Internet Day is an important occasion given the times we are living in. The idea behind this day is to raise awareness around the internet and technology, make users more responsible and in the process make the online world a safer place for all. Undeniably, the Internet has changed the way we live and work. It is both a boon and a bane based on how we use or misuse it.
Actress turned humanitarian, Somy Ali, who now runs her NGO No More Tear, opens up on the issue and talks about the time she spends online.
“It’s true that the internet can have many pros and cons just like anything else in the world we choose to indulge in, but in this case, it's the latter that concerns me the most. Many children and teenagers get lured in by human traffickers and sex predators online. The obvious reason being we do not know who the person is hiding behind the other end of the screen and nowadays the traffickers have started using women to recruit children and then have them meet them at a mall or a movie theatre, which results in the sale of the teenagers and children as young as eight or nine years old to sex traffickers and as labours,” she says.
Somy Ali then throws light on another scary aspect that is the dark web, which one can only access via a specific encrypted password.
“Let me say that if there were a hell on earth it would be the equivalent of the dark web. One can find human organs, weapons, children, men, women, teenagers, drugs, and anything destructive to mankind on the dark web for sale from all over the world. The coders are paid handsomely and they are extremely good at creating these portals which makes it harder for our law enforcement to track them down. It's even harder if the police are corrupt which isn't specific to just one country because there is corruption wherever there are human beings. We had a case two years ago where a couple was committing sexual acts on their two-year-old daughter for paedophiles to pay money to watch these heinous acts. Fortunately, the child was rescued, yet her healing will be next to impossible as this kind of trauma stays with you till you are six feet underground,” she adds.
Somy Ali then talks about the dating sites online which are equally dangerous as we have no clue if the person's profile is genuine. Her NGO has had many cases where both men and women have been physically abused, and in some cases the women have been sexually abused too.
“The marital sites give us similar if not worse results as the women are brought to the U.S. and then in many instances are caged with absolutely no social support while they are being abused. Thus, their protector/husband is now their perpetrator and he/she will not allow the person being abused to contact their families back home. Even if they are allowed a phone call, it is when the abuser is seated right next to the victim which hinders them from speaking about the reality of their marriage,” she says.
Viewing social media through an optimistic lens, according to Somy Ali, it has several benefits for students conducting research for a school paper, entrepreneurs trying to gain notoriety in whatever form of business goals they are developing, families are constantly able to see their loved ones are doing well through posts and pictures, people do find love via social media and end up getting married, which results in a happy marriage, artists are able to display their work through websites and benefit financially, and last but not the least charities benefit in a huge manner with the gain of financial contributions. Additionally, they are able to keep their donors abreast of their current needs for example an abused child needs clothing or diapers, a victim needs funds to pay for therapy or a divorce lawyer etc.
“So, the internet can be significantly helpful in that realm when it comes to nonprofits or people simply seeking help to escape a harmful situation. Celebrities benefit in a huge manner by promoting brands and getting paid astronomically for them which concludes in the public's consumption of that specific brand. Hence, I would deem it to be beneficial particularly during the pandemic when we were all quarantined and our only mode of communication was through the internet which was the only source of consolation during isolation,” she shares.
Somy Ali says that she has to log on to the internet daily given the nature of her work, which demands constant engagement with our donors and informing them who their donations have helped and how we need their support to be consistent.
“I deem the internet to be a catch 22 as it builds and destroys simultaneously. Overall, it is quite beneficial for legitimate businesses such as real estate, clothing, household items, and many others. The internet is not going anywhere whether we deem it to be a good technology or a bad one. If anything in the next few years, it will only grow exponentially both positively and negatively. That is simply the nature of the game just like humans have many layers to them so will the internet. It's what one clicks on makes all the difference in our world,” she ends.
