30 Nov 2011

Cooks implements Pacfic cyber safety programme

4:22 pm on 30 November 2011

A cyber safety programme designed to protect internet users in the Pacific is being rolled out in the Cook Islands.

The Police Commissioner says with more than 50 percent of the population accessing information online, the Cook Islands is second to Niue in terms of Pacific internet usage.

Maara Tetava says because people in the Cook Islands only started going online about a decade ago, they're more vulnerable to the risks.

He says Cook Islanders are falling prey to scamsters so educating people about scams is a priority.

"But cyber bullying is also a concern to us - this programme will give us some indicator as to whether that's happening here in the Cook Islands. Not only are our presenters presenting, they're also talking to the kids and what they're finding out from the kids is mind boogling, really, about what they've been doing on the internet."

Maara Tetava says it's also up to parents to get educated about the internet so they can proterct their children.