SMS speech for Be A Cyber Savvy Seminar

SPEECH BY SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR LAW & HOME
AFFAIRS, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR HO PENG KEE
AT THE OPENING OF “BE A CYBER SAVVY PARENT SEMINAR”
17 NOVEMBER 2007, 2.30PM AT 1 MARINA BOULEVARD.

Mr Barney Lau, Managing Director, Microsoft Singapore

Mr Anton Ravindran, Chairman, Internet Industry Association of Singapore

Mr Viktor Cheng, Senior Assistant Director-General, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore

Distinguished speakers

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon. I am happy to be here for this “Be a Cyber Savvy Parent” Seminar. In particular, its good to see so many parents here. As parents, we want the best for our children. The rapidly evolving online environment is most definitely part of their operating landscape. Question is how to tap its vast potential for good, yet avoid the pitfalls that may snare. Well, this afternoon, I am sure you will see a glimpse of the answers. After that, you will have to go back, reflect further, learn a bit more and work at it with your children.
The advent of technology has resulted in parents like us having to play catch up with our children. While we are still learning how to make full use of the functions in the latest version of Microsoft Word, our children are already creating whole new personas in the virtual world of “Second Life”, networking globally on Facebook and downloading music and movies from the Internet. Our children are the ‘digital natives’ – those who have grown up surrounded by technology and are fully comfortable with it. Parents like us are the ‘digital immigrants’ who are trying to learn this new language and culture of technology.
Now, with Internet penetration amongst households in Singapore increasing steadily over the years, from 50% in 2000 to 71% last year, we can certainly expect our youths to be spending more time cruising cyberspace. The word ‘cyberspace’ brings to mind adventures and excitement for any youth. It connotes boundless and abundant opportunities. Our young may be ‘digital natives’ and finding their way around cyberspace may be second nature. But are they truly cyber-savvy?
There are risks present in the virtual world that the unwary person may fall prey to. For instance, are our children aware of the dangers of viruses and spyware? According to a 2006 survey by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, three out of 10 Internet users aged 15 to 59 experienced a virus attack on their computer and had suffered loss and damages in the preceding twelve months. Another risk is Internet fraud. More Singaporeans are shopping online, especially since it allows them to access stores and labels that are not available in Singapore. However, how many actually wonder whether their recent online purchases are genuine?
When our children surf the Internet, how many of them appreciate the importance of respecting the intellectual property of others? They might come across the latest pop song and might without hesitation download it. Thereafter, they might share it online with their friends and these friends might then share it with their own friends, and so on. Do our children know that these actions are wrong and could get them into trouble? As parents, it is our duty to guide them away from these potential hazards.
Some of us may feel that since there are so many risks, perhaps we should restrict our children in their Internet usage. However, we know that this is not practical. Schools are using the Internet for project work. The Internet offers a wealth of information for research and learning. The convenience that the Internet brings to us far outweighs these risks. What we need to do as parents is to keep ourselves informed of the latest trends and developments in cyberspace. In this way, we would be able to pro-actively guide our children on what they should or should not do online and shape them to be cyber-savvy.
This seminar, which is a collaborative effort by the government and the private sector, hopes to bring members of the public, especially parents, up to date on these developments in cyberspace. It will focus on Internet safety and security, as well as trends in file sharing and the importance of respecting intellectual property on the Internet.
Our private sector partner, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which represents the recording industry, has kindly contributed a software program to help computer users enjoy music and film legally and responsibly. This is the “Digital File Check” or DFC software, which I am told allows users to delete or block file-sharing programmes. Parents can also use DFC to search and delete potentially copyright infringing music files from the "shared folders" in the computer, thus reducing the risk of breaking copyright laws unintentionally.
In closing, I am heartened to see so many of you here today. I hope that the information from this seminar and the DFC software will be useful in protecting ourselves and our children against Internet related risks.
Have a good session ahead and thank you.