Reaction on Women's Rights and ICTs talk

Randy C. Beros

2010 - 38085

STS X2

Woman Rights and ICTs

            We are now in the information age. A time where vast amount of information is accessible just by one click. Where people seas apart can communicate with each other instantly with just milliseconds in delay, where everyone can voice their opinion totally anonymous and free from persecution.

            ICTs or Information Communication Technology has become increasingly popular in the last few years. The UN has even added internet access as part of a human's rights. ICT is still developing and because of that, certain rules are still unclear in what is legal and what is illegal.

            Anonymity in ICT makes us more free. It enables us to express ourselves, to be able to say what we want to say without being identified or persecuted for our opinions. In the right hands it can give voice to the common people and can eventually lead to more transparency but ICTs can also be abused.

            New forms of violence against women are emerging. Violence against women are not just physical anymore. With the rise of ICTs, harassments, bullying and blackmail also started emerging. A private picture or video can easily become viral through the help of social media. A persons image can easily be tainted by bashers who just want to cause trouble. This bashers feel powerful because they are not held accountable for their action. They are anonymous, they can attack someone from a distance and they enjoy making their target suffer emotionally. What's sad is being bashed can cause someone to be emotionally troubled, to have lower self-esteem and to be afraid of social media and ICTs.

            Because of the importance of ICTs in our everyday lives our government has issued the Cyber Crime Law in order to regulate ICTs. Indeed ICTs need regulation from the government but Cyber Crime Law is not the solution. Certain probations in the Cyber Crime Law like the probation on libel and cybersex are restraining and limiting the freedom of internet users. What we need is  proper awareness and knowledge in how to use it. We need to be aware of  the legal action that can be taken regarding offenses made to us online and we need to  be respectful of the privacy rights of others.

            ICT is just a technology, it is neutral and can be used in either good or bad depending on the user. That is why awareness in how to use ICTs properly should be implemented in our educational system. The ICT industry will continue to grow that is why I think it is essential that the awareness and education in the proper way of using ICTs be integrated in the curriculum of schools in order to educate ourselves in the consequences of our action online. As the quote of GMA NEWs says, "Think before you click".