Abu Dhabi: Terrorist groups are using popular online games to spread their messages to children, a top official in the capital said on Monday.
Speaking at the launch of the Safer Internet Day to be held on February 9, Colonel Abdul Rahman Sharaf Al Ansari, assistant general coordinator of Khalifa Student Empowerment Programme (‘Aqdar’, which means ‘I can’) said seemingly innocent games being played around the world may contain harmful messages promoting terrorist ideologies.
“One such example is Al Badayer game — which was used by 12 million individuals around the world, including Latin America. Although the game is named after an area in Sharjah, certain Daesh messages were found being conveyed to users.
"This is why parents must keep a diligent eye on their children and constantly set up parental controls on smart devices,” he said.
Over 30 federal and local entities are participating in the awareness campaign held under the patronage of Lt Gen Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, under the supervision of Aqdar, with the slogan ‘Together to use the internet more wisely’.
“In fact, there are currently around 50,000 Daesh websites when on average each country has about 10,000 official ones. This is why we are all working together to limit this phenomenon and fight online abuse in all its forms — sexual, psychological and emotional,” he explained.
Raising awareness on safe internet use is the responsibility of all members of society, Maj Gen Nasser Lakhraibani Al Nuaimi, secretary-general of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, said.
“Parents play a vital role in informing their children on safe dealings online. Children must learn how to keep their personal information private and to refrain from publishing pictures or other data which may be exploited if it falls into the wrong hands,” Maj Gen Al Nuaimi said.
Major Dr Mohammad Khalifa Al Ali, director of the Ministry of Interior’s Child Protection Centre, said: “When children post detailed information about where they live, it increases their chances of being stalked. In addition to that, posting their pictures on the web will put the child at a higher risk of being blackmailed or bullied.”
-With inputs by Aseel Lulu, Special to Gulf News. Aseel is a trainee at Gulf News
Awareness initiatives
Leading up to the launch, Aqdar and its partners have trained over 33,000 students in over 300 schools across the country, conducted over 600 lectures on electronic awareness, informed 12,500 educators on the subject, launched an e-magazine targeting parents, teachers and students, in addition to launching the Aqdar competition on internet safety, among others.
According to a 2012 Norton study:
- 76 per cent of UAE residents go through cyber bullying
- At least two UAE residents are victims every minute
- Only two in 10 cyber crime victims report the incident to police
- 53 per cent of residents don’t have up-to-date security software to protect themselves
- Only eight per cent of users have taken steps to secure their devices
- 63 per cent of UAE residents have lied about their personal details and information
- 77 per cent who lied about their identity ended up being a cyber crime victim
- 20 per cent of cyber crimes occur through phones
