Wednesday, 24 March, 2010
Students Should Learn How To Safeguard Data, Says VC

Chennai: With information technology developing rapidly, University of Madras vicechancellor G Thiruvasagam has proposed to introduce cyber security as part of the syllabus in some undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Inaugurating a two-day international conference on cyber criminology organised by the university department of criminology here on Tuesday, Thiruvasagam said he would place the proposal before the university senate this week. “The boards of studies will examine it and take a decision on the proposal,” he said. “Now we have computer-related courses which ensure employability to the students, but the students should also know about safety of the data and learn to prevent cyber crime in their work place. Hence I am planning to have a unit on cyber-security as part of the syllabus,” said Thiruvasagam.

Chennai city police commissioner T Rajendran said that there was a need to have an apex body which would react fast when any cyber crime is reported.

“Cyber criminals sit in some other country and commit the crime elsewhere. By the time we contact the respective country and reach there, the criminal would have escaped. Hence there is a need for an organisation which can act fast once a cyber crime complaint is lodged,” he said.

According to him, for the past few months, the Chennai police has been interacting with universities to share knowledge pertaining to crime and criminals. “There is a need to include crime sensitisation in the school syllabus. There is no mention of police or law enforcement agencies in any of their subjects. Children should be sensitised about such issues at a young age itself,” he said.