By Dr Asangba Tzudir
Even as we get increasingly connected to the digital world, there are associated risks which should no longer be ignored. The very recent case of hacking, impersonation and pornography attests to this growing danger. We are not new to emails and social media accounts getting hacked, to impersonation scams and also the unchecked spread of pornography. Today, the virtual space is fast becoming a space where identity, dignity, and safety are under serious threat.
Hacking is perhaps the most visible of these dangers. Users including students, professionals, even elders are finding their accounts on platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram compromised. Personal photos, private messages, and sensitive data are stolen and sometimes ‘weaponised.’ In many cases, hackers use these accounts to solicit money from unsuspecting contacts.
The damage is much more than just financial, one that is deeply personal, thereby eroding a sense of security and violating privacy.
Very closely linked to hacking is the menace of digital impersonation. Fake profiles are created using stolen photos and names, often targeting young people, particularly young girls. These impersonators often engage in deception, harassment, and even blackmail. In a judging society like ours, where reputation is at stake and carries immense weight, the consequences can really be devastating. Victims are left not only to deal with the emotional trauma and harassment but also the social stigma that often follows. The anonymity of the internet also emboldens perpetrators, making accountability and justice difficult and elusive.
Perhaps the most dangerous of these threats is the propagation of pornography. With easy access through smartphones and affordable data, explicit content has become widely available, often without any safeguards. The topic surrounding pornography is frequently avoided due to cultural and moral sensitivities, and its silence only deepens the problem. On the other hand, excessive consumption can distort perceptions of relationships, intimacy, and consent, particularly among young people who are still trying to form their understanding of these concepts. It can also contribute to addiction, isolation, and unrealistic expectations, weakening the very fabric of healthy social interaction.
More alarming is the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, and the circulation of manipulated or the graphically transformed photos. Victims, again often women, are subjected to shame, humiliation and psychological distress. It can lead to self-harm and withdrawal from public life. The digital space, instead of empowering individuals, becomes a site of exploitation in various forms.
The convergence of all these threats also points to a larger issue. Through different awareness creation platforms, digital literacy has been engaged. However, an important aspect is often ignored.
Digital literacy needs to be backed by ethical awareness and its sensitivities touching on digital ethics, privacy, respect, and consent. Technology is fast advancing and exploding, faster than our ability to use it in a responsible manner. Many users remain unaware or nonchalant of the basic security measures. Strong passwords are not simply persuaded but with a purpose, which is often ignored over easy or common password. Then the two-factor authentication process requiring two distinct forms of identification to access an account needs to be taken with seriousness. Important matters where security and privacy is at stake needs to be taken with due caution and not selling off to impatience. Most importantly, one needs to exercise due caution before sharing personal information including pictures. Do we really think about the consequences or even who is going to have access and control over the personal information and pictures that are shared callously? Interaction needs to go beyond the screen. Psychologically, sharing so much of personal ‘materials’ also highlights one’s insecurity, and the pursuit of social validation.
Addressing these dangers requires a collective response. Educational institutions must integrate digital literacy into the curricula, not merely as technical training but as moral education for the online world. Churches and community organisations, which play a significant role in shaping values in Naga society, must also engage with these issues openly, thereby breaking the culture of silence. Law enforcement agencies need to be better equipped to handle cybercrime including cyber-bullying, ensuring that victims have access to timely support and justice. Parents, too, have a crucial role. Open conversations with children about internet use, the boundaries and where to set the limits, and the associated risks can go a long way in prevention. Monitoring needs to change where guidance and trust building should replace blind control.
Ultimately, it can be said that the digital world is an extension of our real lives. The values we uphold offline like respect, responsibility, and integrity must also guide our online behaviour. It is time to choose to embrace technology wisely or fall prey and avoid its darker possibilities. The dangers of hacking, impersonation, and pornography are real, but so too is our capacity to confront them with greater awareness, caution and collective action.
(Dr. Asangba Tzudir contributes a weekly guest editorial for The Morung Express. Comments can be emailed to asangtz@gmail.com).
