The Digicel Foundation, on Tuesday (February 11), officially launched its Safer Internet Together (SIT) Programme, a year-long initiative aimed at promoting online safety, digital responsibility and cyber awareness among young people and the wider society.
The initiative’s launch at the Mona School of Business and Management, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, St. Andrew, coincided with this year’s observance of Safer Internet Day, under the theme ‘Together, For A Better Internet’.
Digicel Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Marcelo Cataldo, who brought greetings, emphasised the SIT Programme’s importance, vis-à-vis the services provided by the telecommunications company.
“We work every day to have our network available for our customers to be able to be connected and empower their lives; to study, to be entertained, to work. We sell the most powerful tool in the world; we sell access to the Internet. With the Internet, you can do everything. But we are also mindful of the potential risks that the Internet can bring to our children, to our youngsters. So with our programme and with the help of our partners working all together, the idea is to have safer internet [use] for all of us,” the CEO said.
Referencing his experience as a father of three, Mr. Cataldo said the SIT programme will also target parents and other stakeholders, so they, too, can be educated and informed about what takes place on the Internet and steps that can be taken to create a safer digital environment for their children.
“It’s our responsibility, as parents, to guide them (children). But maybe we as parents, we don’t know all the things that we need to know. So the idea of this programme is to discuss it and to give parents, caretakers, teachers, the tools and capabilities for them to be able to help our children to be safe in this digital world,” Mr. Cataldo stated.
The launch also included a public lecture that was conducted by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in charge of Technology at the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Technology Branch, Leonardo Brown, who spoke to a hall brimming with university students on the topic: ‘The Internet Never Forgets – Manage Your Digital Footprints’.
During the almost 50-minute presentation, ACP Brown provided statistics on the current cybercrime threat landscape, pointing out that the resulting global cost has increased significantly over the years.
He informed that the figure in 2015 totalled US$3 trillion, which doubled in 2021 and is expected to be in excess of US$10.5 trillion by the end of 2025.
ACP Brown said, locally, the JCF’s Communication Forensics and Cybercrime Division (CFCD) received 221 cyber offense cases between January 2022 and December 2024, a figure deemed small, relative to developments occurring.
“When we look at the numbers, and then we examine what is happening in society, we realise that the reports are not coming in, both from organisations and from people as well. From the organisation perspective, the literature will tell you that many organisations do not report these incidents because of the potential reputational damage. Something will happen, they will go to an institution, the institution will remediate whatever occurred and it’s not reported to the police at all. So, we want to encourage the reporting of cyber incidents,” ACP Brown stated.
He added that cybercrime reports will assist the JCF to learn more about the threat landscape and implement strategies to narrow attacks, resulting in a safer digital space.
The senior officer advised the students attending the event on ways in which they can safely use the Internet and reduce the possibilities of their becoming victims of cybercrime.
“Try to understand what is normal, even with the proliferation of AI (artificial intelligence) and DeepSeek and those advanced techs, and discern. Also, always assume breach. As a cybersecurity practitioner, I always assume breach because I don’t know. So I always assume that something is either likely to happen or is happening and, therefore, I browse with caution,” ACP Brown advised.
Digicel Foundation announced that the SIT Programme will be introduced to 150 educational institutions islandwide over the next year.
This will be done in partnership with the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Builders Learning Hub, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Sunshine Snacks, Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), and MacMillan Education.
