30 Mar 2017

 As a way to curb Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) problems in the country, the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) in partnership with Stomps road shows took their services to the community to help them understand the consequences of misusing the Internet.
Speaking to BOPA in an interview on Tuesday, BOCRA senior communications and public relations manager, Mr Jericho Keletso said the road show was an effort from their company to educate Batswana on ICT, adding that Batswana did not understand much about the Internet and as such abused it.
He said the Internet was an important tool in one’s life because it reached masses, but could also affect one negatively if they used it in a negative way such as uploading private material on the Internet.
Mr Keletso said Batswana, especially the youth, should know the importance of the Internet, encouraging them to use it as a tool to do something positive in their lives, such as blogging or advertising their businesses and not attracting strangers, who might end up cutting their life short or trafficking them.
Moreover, he said if there is something that you could not do in other people’s presence, then you should not post such things on the Internet.
He said people found it uncomfortable to walk around naked, yet they had the guts to post their  naked pictures on the Internet.
Furthermore, Mr Keletso said it was sad that most people did not know that it was a crime to upload private materials such as pornographic materials on the Internet, adding that Internet was a worldwide tool and people all over the world could access its contents.
He said the Internet had attracted trends of other issues like privacy invasion, human trafficking and cyber bullying, which led to death in most cases, but still people failed to learn from what they saw and heard on the Internet.
Mr Keletso said there was a trend on social media a few months ago called dead pose, which had a lot of negative effects on the youth.
He said a saying that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ should be a lesson to the youth to refrain from uploading offensive material, warning that some companies viewed profiles of their candidates before employing them and negative feedback from the profiles meant less chances of employment.
The road show started off in Gaborone followed by Tlokweng, Pilane and Mochudi, and would soon reach other places like Ramotswa, Lobatse and Nkoyaphiri.
He said they realised most adults did not have access to the Internet, as such they found it fit to travel around to assist them explore their mobile phones in order to access the Internet. ENDS