KOCHI: Keralam aims to become a fully cyber-resilient state by 2027 through a community-led campaign that will bring together the police, educational institutions, industry and the public to combat cybercrime, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said in Kochi on Saturday.
Inaugurating CLICK (Community Led Initiative for Cyber Resilient Keralam), a campaign led by the Home Department and Kerala Police, Chennithala said the initiative was timely and essential for a modern society increasingly dependent on digital technology.
"We have introduced several initiatives. However, this is a timely intervention and something that modern society needs to take seriously. We are living in an era of robots and digital technology. Cybersecurity has become essential," he said.
Pointing to the scale of the problem, Chennithala said around 54,000 cybercrime complaints were reported in Keralam last year. The actual number could be higher as many incidents might have gone unreported, he added.
The minister also announced that his office would become fully digitalised from November 3. Under the proposed system, he will be able to access details of all FIRs registered across the state. The Home Minister Acts (HM Acts) system will also allow the public to check the action taken in a case and use the information to follow up on it.
Actor Mammootty, who joined the campaign as its CLICK captain, called on students to take the lead in building a safer digital environment. He said young people had the potential to bring about change and that their voices should be at the forefront of the initiative.
"Half of our lives will soon be spent in the cyber world. Almost everything in our daily lives can now be accessed or managed through digital devices, except for our basic physical needs. While technology has made life easier, we are also dealing with cybercrime. The project aims to deal cyber crimes with cybersecurity. Students are the ones who can bring about change. The students who represent the country's future should lead this effort," he said.
He compared the internet to the invention of the atomic bomb, saying both had immense potential for good as well as destruction. Drawing a parallel with the human mind, which he said contained both good and evil, he observed that it was the evil within people that led to the misuse of the internet.
Mammootty also cautioned against falling prey to online impersonation and fake profiles. With artificial intelligence making it possible to impersonate even senior police officers and issue instructions in their names, he urged people to verify suspicious communications and approach the police or cyber cell. He called on the public to use the internet for its benefits instead of its harmful aspects.
The minister urged people to follow five basic precautions to protect themselves online: use strong and unique passwords for every account, enable two-factor authentication, keep important documents and photographs secure, think carefully before clicking links and report cyber fraud immediately through the helpline 1930.
As part of the launch, Mammootty presented CLICK Heroes caps to 15 selected students, recognising them as ambassadors of the campaign.
The initiative envisages the creation of 1,000 cyber-safe villages and more than 500 Cyber Resilience Centres in colleges in association with the police. It will also introduce Cyber Captains and Cyber First Responders to strengthen awareness and response at the community level.
Explaining the implementation framework, ADGP (Cyber Operations) P Vijayan said the police would lead the Cyber Resilience Centres, while colleges would function as support centres. The industry would contribute technical expertise and mentorship to the initiative.
The campaign also seeks to bring educational institutions, industries, social organisations, young people and the wider public together to make cybersecurity a collective responsibility.
“Cyber resilience refers to the ability of individuals and communities to identify and prevent cyberattacks and recover quickly when incidents occur. CLICK aims to equip people to respond to cybercrime without allowing fear, embarrassment or the stigma associated with online fraud to prevent them from seeking help,” the ADGP said.
State Police Chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar, police advisor A Hemachandran, other senior police officers, Zoho Corporation founder Sridhar Vembu, Mayor VK Minimol attended among others.