National Commission for Women, Facebook and CyberPeace Foundation launches Digital Shakti 3.0: We Think Digital campaign in Leh, Ladakh

CyberPeace Foundation, a think tank and grassroots NGO of cybersecurity and policy experts, launched the third phase of the ‘We Think Digital- Digital Shakti 3.0’ initiative in Leh, Ladakh. The project was first launched on the occasion of Safer Internet Day in 2020 by CyberPeace Foundation in collaboration with Autobot Infosec, Facebook and National Commission for Women. The initiative, which is geared towards the benefit of women, aims to equip over 1.5 lakh girls and women across the states of India with the skills required to stay safe and secure on digital platforms and thus, enhance their digital literacy. Phase two of the same initiative was successfully completed on Safer Internet Day in 2021, and the initial phase was launched as the ‘Digital Shakti’ campaign in 2018.

The ‘We Think Digital- Digital Shakti 3.0’ sessions primarily focus on strengthening safety, privacy and identifying misinformation on digital platforms, and are centered on understanding data and digital footprint, responsible online behavior, fighting misinformation and cybercrime and Redressal. They also emphasize on women’s safety in online spaces, and empower them with knowledge about how to protect themselves on the internet, and how to safely use information and communication technology through webinars and capacity building workshops. A total of over 167 webinars have been organized and over 105,000 netizens sensitized across India since the launch in 2020.

This time, in addition to these workshops, expert talks will also be conducted, and a resource center will be built to make information on online safety and digital literacy easily accessible to all. Furthermore, round table conferences with stakeholders will also be organized to discuss gaps in policies and understand what can and should be done to help women develop skills while also making cyberspace safer and more inclusive for them.

Addressing the audience during the launch, Shri Vineet Kumar, Founder and President, CyberPeace Foundation, said, “We were very glad to have collaborated with Facebook, the National Commission for Women and Autobot Infosec to launch the third phase of the project for sensitizing girls and women across the nation.  With this project, we hope to eliminate the disparities that prevent women from making the most of the internet and all the resources that it has to offer, and arm them with the skills that will enable them to make their invaluable contribution to the global community. I congratulate all the partners and their teams who made it possible to complete the earlier two phases with flying colors and looking forward to making the third phase a grand success.”

During the launch, Shri Shivang Raina, Policy Program Manager, Facebook congratulated NCW and CyberPeace Foundation. He appreciated Shri Vineet Kumar and his team for putting in so much effort and hard work behind the success of this program. He stated, “More than the set number and the target we have achieved under this program, we have received more than 35000 feedback forms. As a part of this program women have started coming forward for sharing their experiences, issues that they face online. We have something called the online portals, policy prevention hubs, then comes the digital literacy resources which are free and available for anyone online and anyone can participate in this program.”