Karnataka government on November 28 signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with tech firm Meta to launch two initiatives aimed at raising awareness among students and educators about online safety and digital citizenship.
The state government plans to train 1 lakh teachers and 10 lakh students in digital safety and AR/VR skills by 2025 through this partnership with Meta.
As part of the online safety initiative, young people (18-24 years) from 100 colleges and universities across the state will receive digital awareness training. The programme's goal is to make them more mindful of new trends in digital safety. Meta will also train and deploy master trainers across these colleges, according to a statement from the Karnataka Information Technology and Biotechnology department.
Also, read: Karnataka govt to explore partnership with Meta for cyber safety, says state IT minister Priyank Kharge
The digital citizenship initiative, a joint programme between the IT-BT department and Meta, will develop a WhatsApp chatbot for the delivery of information services across various government departments. The purpose of the programme is to streamline citizen communications and create a digital safety chatbot for citizen awareness, the statement said.
"Industry players like Meta can take the lead in training students and teachers for the future and also train people on safe online actions," said Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, adding that online safety, especially for women and children, is an area of focus that requires different stakeholders to come together.
The government also plans to collaborate with Meta for gaming and AI, as well as to counter misinformation through deep fakes.
Priyank Kharge, Karnataka IT-BT minister, said, "Future technologies like AR/VR and their applications can open avenues for job opportunities, new businesses, and entrepreneurship." He also pointed out that the government has a comprehensive plan to equip students with digital skills and boost their employability in the job market.
Joel Kaplan, vice-president, global public policy, at Facebook, said, "We are happy to collaborate with the Karnataka government on digital safety to enhance the engagement of young users in understanding digital best practices and staying safe online."
The training programmes include capacity-building workshops, online and hybrid mode workshops conducted in both Kannada and English. As a commitment to creating a digitally safer world, the students and teachers will also take the Digital Nagrik pledge, the release said.
Also, read: Karnataka govt invites EoI to set up 'Information Disorder Tackling Unit' to combat fake news
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