LAHORE – Videos showing students indulging in ‘socially unacceptable’ activities are being frequently uploaded on the Internet, especially social networking sites, causing embarrassment to not only students but educational institutions as well, Pakistan Today has learnt. Varsity administrations claim a section of people is trying to malign the name of good educational institutions and most videos, which are named with some specific institution are fake. Most of the available videos associated with Pakistani educational institutes are either from India or private functions. These videos include dances and private moments, a regular internet user said.
Students claim that when everybody possesses a mobile camera it is now almost impossible for the varsity administration to stop anyone from capturing photos and videos. Social networking site Youtube.com is ranked fourth in Pakistan and according to citizens, youngsters also search for scandals and dance videos of elite educational institutions. Citizens claim that there is no check on videos and photos being uploaded on the internet. Youtube.com contains objectionable videos of public-sector universities, which are not known for high-profile functions. Citizens said that there is a deliberate effort to malign the educational institutions of the country.
Dance videos have become quite common on the internet, as people not only watch and share the videos but also comment on them. Deputy Director Cyber Crimes Sajid Ikram told Pakistan Today that if anyone uploads any data against the will of a particular person, then under the Electronic Transactions Ordinance, he may be sentenced to seven years. He said that investigation can take months, as they have to bring data from international servers. Ikram said that the procedure of complaining is not very complex and action is only taken when the affected person or his relative complains. Videos, leaked from inside hostel rooms, also being uploaded on the Internet. A student of a private school told Pakistan Today that after a bonfire function in his school, the administration warned the students not to upload videos and photos of the function at every cost.
He said that most private schools do not allow cellular phones on campus. Citizens claim that the media should aware the masses about cyber laws. School teacher Akhtar said that the people who upload these sorts of videos can easily be traced but still the government is not willing to take action. He said that schools are planning to take serious measures in this regard. University student Naveed said some youngsters do not know how to use privacy settings and some criminals steal the secret material, including photos and videos, by hacking the accounts of girls. He said that once the video is uploaded, no one can stop it from spreading. Naveed said that there are lots of videos on the Internet and CDs are tagged with the name of elite institutes, but in fact they originated in India.
According to Youtube.com, hundreds of thousands people view these videos. The mother of a schoolgirl said that these videos can damage the career of students and also tarnish the image of that particular educational institution.
