The Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ and the Kibalchish non-profit organization for combating cybercrime have announced the start of a joint educational project called Safe Net, designed to promote internet literacy among school students and computer science teachers in the Kaluga Region. The project was supported by the Obninsk Department of Education and City Development Agency. Six events in different formats on cyber security and proper internet behavior will be conducted in the schools of Obninsk and other towns of the Kaluga Region in 2019.
Kibalchish Director Polina Stroganova shared the core objective of the project: “Our organization is cracking down on illegal content and informs competent authorities about violations on the web. Internet users should understand what is legal and what is not. If a user comes across a violation, he or she should know where to file a complaint.”
The pilot project workshop was held in the Balzamin conference hall in Obninsk on January 24. Improving overall digital literacy requires teaching not only children, but also their parents and teachers, those from whom children get basic knowledge about the world. This is why it was decided to begin the project with a lecture and workshop for computer science teachers of Obninsk schools. The lecture was delivered by Mikhail Anisimov, deputy head of the Information Service at the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ. He told the audience about what types of threats exist on the internet and what to do if one encounters such a threat. Anisimov also talked about how the Coordination Center is cracking down on illegal content on the web. After the lecture, teachers asked Anisimov questions and told him what specific threats they and their pupils face on the internet. Teachers’ feedback and advice will serve as the basis for subsequent meetings and lectures under the Safe Net project.
Director of the Coordination Center Andrey Vorobyev spoke highly of Safe Net’s potential: “Educational projects of this kind are a large and meaningful part of the Coordination Center’s work in the field of security. Even earlier, we gave lectures on this subject in various Russian regions, helped train teachers and librarians and improve their cyber literacy. Now, thanks to our partner Kibalchish, we have an opportunity to work together with local authorities. I am sure that our work on raising internet literacy in the regions will be even more efficient now.”
