Barriers to protect children in cyberspace: Invisible "armor"

SGGP 11/05/2023 09:00

The internet can be a powerful tool for children to connect, explore, learn and engage in creative, empowered ways. But when it comes to protecting children in this space, many parents and caregivers face obstacles when trying to keep up with their children’s technology use.

Cyber ​​safety classes implemented by CyberKid Vietnam at schools in Ho Chi Minh City

Small but difficult challenge

Providing knowledge to children to stay safe online is not too difficult nowadays, the issues raised seem to be just small questions, but not many children are provided with adequate knowledge. And although online safety skills are implemented in many schools today, it depends on each school's schedule, and has not yet become a real subject.

In the process of working and researching on internet safety for children, Hoang Nhat Minh (member of Saigon Children's) analyzed: “Many children are still very carefree in cyberspace and cannot handle and identify dangerous risks for themselves, such as distinguishing between kindness and protecting their personal information. It is necessary to talk kindly to people online, but there is no need to answer questions from strangers, especially questions about personal information. Or how to distinguish who is a stranger, who is an acquaintance, a stranger can befriend and become friends on social networks; but if there is not much information about that person in real life, those people are still strangers”.

MSc. Tran Anh Duy (PhD student in Information Security at KU Leuven, Belgium) further analyzed: “We can immediately recognize some fake sites, but there are also some websites that the scammers have invested heavily in, which are very difficult to identify. Basically, the Invisible Armor can guide students to check the URL links of the website. The URL addresses of legitimate websites often start with https:// and have a lock icon in front. Check if the domain name belongs to reputable organizations, businesses and agencies. Parents or teachers can also make a list of reputable and necessary websites for learning and only allow students to access those websites. In more detail, adults can guide students to carefully review the content of the website and the links and elements in the websites they visit. They must immediately ask for adults' opinions when they detect unusual signs on the website. In addition In addition, some organizations now also provide products that check the reliability of websites or products that help raise awareness of signs of fraud such as: https://antoanso.org/”.

Curious but hesitant

The ease of access to cyberspace and the constant updating of trends on social media platforms attract children. Most of them are curious about new things and are hesitant to seek help and advice when they are at risk.

The research report Preventing Harm - Evidence of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Online, conducted by ECPAT, INTERPOL and UNICEF - Innocenti Research Office in 2022, points out that anxiety, shame, fear of revealing personal information, being ridiculed and facing negative public views are factors that prevent women and children from reporting sexual abuse.

The Cyber ​​Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department also agreed that cultural barriers and social prejudices are factors that lead to incorrect perceptions of child abuse. Many victims and their families still do not dare to report crimes due to shame or fear of social judgment.

The Cybercrime Bureau also said that sexual abuse can cause serious physical and mental harm to children, and can even lead to death, including suicide. They added that most perpetrators are relatives or acquaintances of the victims. Data from countries in the Prevent Harm study confirm that perpetrators are often known to the victims.

Cyberspace and the issues it poses to children and young people are no small challenge. In addition to community standards on platforms and legal regulations, some social networks today, such as TikTok, have servers located abroad, making them difficult to control.

Regarding the results of the comprehensive inspection of TikTok in early October, Mr. Le Quang Tu Do, Director of the Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information, said: “The subjects of the inspection are TikTok's two legal entities in Vietnam, including TikTok Office and TikTok Vietnam Company. However, from the inspection's reality, TikTok Office and TikTok Vietnam Company are not directly involved in managing and providing cross-border services to Vietnam through the TikTok.com website and TikTok application. The provision of cross-border services to Vietnam is directly managed and operated by TikTok Pte.Ltd (TikTok Singapore).

The problem of “protecting children in cyberspace” requires the joint efforts of multiple sectors, from management agencies, families, schools, etc. But perhaps the most powerful therapy is to provide children with sufficient knowledge to equip themselves with “armor” in the “flat world”.

MSc.-Lawyer NGO VIET BAC - Head of Saigon Tay Nguyen Law Office, Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association:

More complete legal corridor

Since the Law on Cyber ​​Security was applied, the effectiveness of legal regulations on online activities has been seen. However, along with initial achievements, cyber security is facing many risks with increasingly sophisticated violations of the law by agents.

Currently, Vietnam basically has clear and practically applicable legal regulations regulating social behavior. However, the number of cybercrimes in general is still high as well as the security of personal information in Vietnam is still not really good, I myself think, partly due to law enforcement. The court's trial of cases violating cyber security laws has a particularly important role and influence, because only the court has the function of trial. Before accepting the case, the court can apply temporary emergency measures to protect the interests of the parties. During the trial, the court strictly complies with the provisions on strict procedures of the Criminal Procedure Law. However, the trial practice of the court sector in recent times shows that criminal cases in this field are not many and common.

The issues of reporting crimes or enforcing the application of penalty frameworks, prosecution and trial according to criminal procedures for this type of crime are still very limited. Many subjects are still confused when applying it to real life. The awareness of complying with the law on network security of the majority of organizations and individuals is not high; the human resources specializing in protecting network security are limited in terms of qualifications and capacity, not meeting the requirements in the new situation. Not being able to master infrastructure equipment and having to import technology products from abroad is also one of the reasons why personal information is not securely protected due to lack of control from the state.

Currently, there are regulations on penalties for a number of violations related to ensuring network security. However, regarding the potential consequences and significant consequences caused by violations, I personally assess that the sanctions and regulations are still lacking, weak in effectiveness, and not strong enough to deter and appropriately handle violations. It is necessary to supplement, amend, and focus on unifying sanctions for handling violations to meet the practical requirements of state management of network security protection, as well as the fight against crime and violations of the law. It is urgent to supplement sanctions in the law on network security in the direction of regulations that must be strong enough to deter and prevent violations; clearly stipulate the coordination mechanism between state management agencies on network security, ensuring that all violations of the law on network security must be handled promptly and strictly.

HONG DUONG recorded

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/rao-chan-bao-ve-tre-tren-khong-gian-mang-ao-giap-vo-hinh-post712802.html