The Communications Commission, ISOC-Georgia and the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia organised a conference devoted to the International Safer Internet Day. This year’s edition of SID was held under the motto of “Together for a Better Internet.”  The purpose of the event was to encourage safe use of the internet and digital technologies in Georgia, as well as to deepen cooperation and share the experiences and opinions between agencies in this field. The meeting was opened by ComCom member Natia Kukuladze, together with Director of the Internet Society Ketevan Rekhviashvili, and Head of the Department of Telecommunications, Information and Modern Technologies Eka Kubusidze. Ms Kukuladze talked about the role of the Communications Commission and the projects implemented in this field. 

“We have often said that we live in the age of technological progress. Along with the enormous benefits that come with it, there are also dangerous challenges such as cyberbullying, fake news and misinformation. People have difficulty distinguishing between real and fake information, and protecting themselves from cyberbullying. The internet is truly a progressive phenomenon, but it contains certain dangers and risks that all users must be informed about,” Natia Kukuladze stated and proceeded to explain the role and function of the Commission in this field to the participants of the meeting: “Our mission is to create a better and safer internet, as well as to increase the level of awareness about online security and, of course, to help raise the level of digital literacy in our country. As mentioned earlier, we have implemented a number of important projects in the field of informal education, but we also started the process of integrating media literacy into formal education several years ago. The fact that media literacy is an optional subject taught in schools today is unprecedented and a very important result, which many EU countries are still struggling to achieve. The same applies to higher education: thanks to our efforts, two Georgian universities are teaching media literacy, digital literacy, cyber hygiene and cyber ethics. We also continue to work with other universities in this field,” Natia Kukuladze explained. She concluded her speech by highlighting the importance of stakeholder involvement. 

Head of the Media Literacy Department of the Communications Commission Mariam Dakhundaridze provided a more detailed overview of the projects implemented by ComCom to support safe use of the internet. She highlighted the Digital Support Programme, which is implemented by ComCom within the framework of the Log-in Georgia project and aims to teach the population how to navigate the internet safely. According to her, the programme already has 3500 beneficiaries from 135 villages across Georgia. Another project discussed by Mariam Dakhundaridze was the “Happy Onlife” game that teaches primary school pupils safe internet navigation. “The app has been downloaded more than 15,000 times, and we have trained 4500 pupils in more than 100 public schools.” Ms Dakhundaridze proceeded to describe another project designed for primary school pupils: “Hello Ruby” is a textbook devised by Finnish author Linda Liukas, which teaches children the basics of computer science. We have already allocated 17,500 textbooks to 80 schools, allowing up to 6000 pupils to use “Hello Ruby,” the commissioner stated. She concluded by providing an overview of the national media literacy platform, noting that the website offers more than 100 educational resources. 

Head of the Small and Medium Telecom Operators Association of Georgia, Ucha Seturi, also took part in the event and discussed the main challenges facing the internet market in Georgia: “Many of our resources are untapped due to the high prices and monopolistic tendencies on the market. The comprehensive study carried out by the Communications Commission for the purpose of opening the market is highly important. This will be a revolutionary change that will create new opportunities for operators. Foremost of all, we are a segment that feels the challenges of competition and all the problems that exist in the market. We hope to be able to announce some significant changes soon,” Ucha Seturi stated.

During the meeting, stakeholders and representatives of relevant bodies discussed topics such as online law, personal data protection, cyber security, cyber hygiene, the projects implemented in this field, as well as the future plans.