'Stop cyber-crime army' to be set up in Kerala schools

Kochi, June 23 (IANS) The higher education department in Kerala Monday launched a cyber safety awareness campaign as part of which a "Stop Cyber-Crime Army" will be formed in all schools in the state, officials said.

State-owned IT venture Infopark is playing host to the cyber safety awareness campaign.

"Infopark will always be at the forefront to promote anti-cyber crime initiatives. In this digital age, it is a matter of concern that cyber crimes are increasing at an alarming rate in our country," said Infopark chief executive Hrishikesh Nair.

"The best way to counter them is by educating the society of the risks and vulnerabilities involved in our increased dependency on the internet," he said.

The "Stop Cyber Crime Army", comprising volunteers of the National Service Scheme (NSS), is the brainchild of the higher education department.

The campaign is supported by Orgpeople India Foundation, the official educational partner of Kerala Education Department, and Avanzo Cyber Security Solutions Pvt Ltd.

One lakh students are being targeted under the campaign.

NSS volunteers in Kerala will be provided special training to conduct cyber safety awareness classes in banks, clubs, libraries and resident associations in their areas.

Raycast Technologies, a company being incubated at the NRI-Technology Business Incubator at Infopark, has developed a computer game application for the campaign.

"The 'Stop Cyber Crime' game application is aimed at creating awareness about cyber security among all sectors of the society," said Abhishek Mohan, CEO of Raycast Technologies.