COIMBATORE: Activists slammed the Police department after they issued an advisory to women asking them to stay off social media to ward off trouble. In the note, police "advised' women to avoid posting their photos on social networking sites stating that it could be misused by mischief mongers. Further, it encouraged victims to contact Cyber Crime Police to lodge complaint.
Activists condemned police for issuing the note and said that it was a regressive move.
“For a lot of women, social media gives them an identity in the current situation. Many women expressing their talents through social media. It has given self-confidence for them. But such instruction from police put them on the back foot,” said Selvi, Coordinator of Manithi, Chennai-based women's organization.
"It is the duty of police to prevent crime against women and bring perpetrators to book. Also, they must build confidence in victim,” she added.
Sources in police department said that the advisory was issued as cyber crimes are on the rise as internet and social media increased over the last one year because of lockdown. "We are yet to receive any any major complaint. We issued the advisory to sensitise women to the threat posed by cyber criminals. We thought it would protect their personal information" a senior officer said.
The note cautions women to avoid video calls from strangers, as the caller could take screenshot or record the call and could use to threaten them. "If someone contacts and asks to pay in advance to get a job online, disconnect the call immediately. Avoid opening any web link in SMS messages. If an unidentified person asks for money transfer information, disconnect the call. Block the number if the phone is lost," said police.
Further, sources said that Covid treatment scams are also on the rise. "Do not pay in advance is someone says oxygen cylinder will be given to you at a lower price online. Downloading app to monitor heart rate and blood pressure and sharing bio-metric information could be used to steal personla information, police warned.