ISLAMABAD: The use of information and communication technology (ICT) is continuously increasing and by 2025 there will be eight times more devices all over the world. So a strategy has to be put in place to check the abuse of technology.

This was stated by programme manager of Initiative for Peace and Development (IPAD), Amber Awan. She was speaking at a conference, “ICT for peace and harmony” organised by IPAD at the National Centre for Rural Development on Monday.

The aim of the conference was to bring together technologists, designers, developers, peace practitioners and government representatives to devise a strategy to check “violent conflict and help in building peace”.

Ms Awan said even today, the global community is facing so many ICT-related issues which needed to be addressed.

“Taliban and other terrorists make video messages and spread them all over the world within minutes through the internet. Similarly, some people know how a Facebook account is opened but they don’t know how to protect it,” she said.

Facebook accounts are hacked and then misused, creating tension and embarrassment for the account holders. There is a need to create public awareness on how to protect the accounts, she added.

“In future, such threats will increase because everything will be shifted to ICT. So the print, electronic and social media should play its role in creating awareness about the security issues and how their interests can be safeguarded,” she said.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman Syed Ismail Shah said there was a need to bring further innovation to the telecom technology and spread it to the far-flung areas to get maximum benefit.

He said all possible steps would be taken to ensure that the technology is used for peace and harmony.

The head of the mass communication department at Margalla College, Yasmin Siraj, said media should ensure that information being passed on was correct.

Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen leader Allama Asghar Askari said Islam believed in science and technology. “A number of verses in the Quran talks about science,” he said.

Senior priest of Rawalpindi, Father Jacob Joseph, said the Christian community had been using ICT for peace and harmony at the global level.

“If advanced technology such as Skype is used for peace and harmony, a number of issues and confusions among people belonging to different schools of thoughts would be addressed,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2016