With a strong commitment to raising awareness about internet safety, Truecaller, the leading global platform for verifying contacts and blocking unwanted communication is collaborating with CyberPeace Foundation, to launch #TrueCyberSafe focused on online safety.
User safety remains a top priority at Truecaller, especially the safety of women and individuals from vulnerable communities. We continue to be the first line of defense against online harassment by empowering users to make informed decisions through Truecaller’s caller identification service with the help of our community marking numbers as spam/scam/fraud. This added context helps the receiver of the call to block or/and report a number leading to safer communication. Additionally, the Guardians is an easy-to-use location safety app that helps people stay safe when they are on the move.
Truecaller along with CyberPeace Foundation is geared up to take a step ahead by training people to help them in developing the requisite skills to have a safe digital experience and aiding them in nurturing the faculties of critical thinking and empathy. The certification developed along with Autobot Infosec will help people in tackling various kinds of frauds, impersonation, harassment, and scams.
Commenting on the partnership, Pragya Misra, Public Affairs Director, Truecaller India, said: “The recent pandemic and social distancing has emphasized the importance of digital communication. However, with this convenience that has helped all of us stay connected, we have also had to tackle challenges like Spam and Fraud instances leading to considerable personal loss. Safety has always been and continues to be an absolute priority for us at Truecaller and we are constantly working towards achieving the highest standards of online safety for our users and the wider public at large. This program is a continuation of our efforts that will help increase awareness about Cyber Frauds and build user capacity on how people can stay safe while communicating. We are very excited to partner with CyberPeace Foundation to disseminate these training that will target both mature and first-time internet users across India in English and regional languages.”
Sharing his thoughts on the collaboration, Major Vineet Kumar, Founder, and Global President, CyberPeace Foundation said: “Past two decades CyberPeace Foundation has emphasized on Online Safety and the issues that might be faced in the upcoming days. Post the onset of pandemic, we did see a rise in the Cyber related Frauds and hence we have constantly collaborated with the organizations to ensure that the netizens stay CyberAware and CyberAlert and they know the mechanism to report and raise their voices. On our helpline, we get almost 10-11 cases per day related to CyberFrauds. To address this issue, we are delighted to work with Truecaller and Autobot Infosec and believe that this program on understanding online threats and safety is the future of Internet use. When we combine our content and expertise of Truecaller, we can create truly transformative learning experiences that deliver measurable impact and we are hopeful to provide the participants with lessons to follow for a safe online environment”.
Col Nidhish Bhatnagar, Rashtriya Raksha University, Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt of India said: “Cybersecurity is among India’s major concerns today. As more cyber threats penetrate through the vulnerabilities of our digital infrastructure, the more at risk we are on a personal level, as well as at the national level. In today’s globalized and interconnected world, such threats and vulnerabilities are only likely to increase manifold in the coming years. Hence, it becomes necessary to approach the issue of cybersecurity in a holistic manner to be able to prevent as well as manage cyberattacks. To this end, it is imperative to enhance the public awareness as well as build capacity to address this rapidly evolving threat; and a nationwide campaign for the same is a step towards mitigating data breaches, identity thefts, and data thefts in the country.”
Rakesh Maheshwari, Scientist G, and Group Coordinator, Cyber Laws & E-Security, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India said: “With rapidly evolving innovations in technology, there is also a corresponding global rise in cyberattacks and cyberthreats. With increased dependence on digital technologies and communication, the rise in the misuse of such interconnectedness is inevitable. This paves the need for more attention, research, and innovation in cybersecurity practices. India has made strides in the recent past with India’s cyber security industry nearly doubling in size amid the pandemic, but a lot more needs to be done to build public awareness and capacity in this regard. This nationwide campaign of Truecaller and CyberPeace Foundation to raise awareness about cyber safety is a positive step in that direction.”
Gracing the event by his presence, Commissioner of Police, Guwahati, Harmeet Singh said, “The Covid19 Pandemic led to people being confined at home, consequently increasing every individual’s digital footprint, particularly with relation to financial transactions among of course the social and educational space.
We are witnessing a substantial rise in Cyber Frauds and Scams, as a consequence of this increased dependency on Digital Transactions. As we continue our march towards technology, these negative externalities will also continue to grow. Along with the sustained efforts of Law Enforcement Agencies, it is of utmost importance to empower citizens and enable safe digital experiences for everyone. This nationwide program to increase awareness and build the capacity of citizens will be a huge step forward in this regard.”
