Tech Trends: Ethical Use of the Internet Can Protect Individuals’ Digital Identities- Monique Morrow

In this world of technology where more applications and services are being offered by different service providers, more people and organizations face some problems when it comes to securing their digital identities. Hence, there’s a need to understand the concept of digital identity as well as how to better safeguard it.

I recently had a chat with Monique Morrow, President, and Co-Founder of the Humanized Internet, a non-profit organization committed to protecting digital identities of under-represented populations, on the Tech Trends show on Channels Television.

She shares her thoughts on how individuals can secure and stay in control of their digital identity.

CFA: Monique, glad to have you on the show today.

Monique: It’s a pleasure to be here. Right, it’s a pleasure to be on your show.

CFA: Let’s look at connectivity as it is today. What are some of the danger signs that you see with the way the internet is evolving?

Monique: I think the way the internet is evolving right now is that there are things we have to pay attention to. One from the business perspective is what I’ll call ethical use of the internet. What are our ethics? How do we use it?

Technology has no agency; so, it’s mainly about ethical use. One of the alarming things that I’m seeing is how people are abusing the internet to abuse others.

Think about it, If I don’t like you, I could actually put a picture of you and say that you’re doing bad things to other people. So, that’s the thing that we have to pay attention to the abuse of the internet or using the internet for abuse against people. I’m paying attention to cyber mobbing with children involved.

This is very important as parents need to be involved with their kids on the responsible use of the internet. What happens is that the way children use the internet, especially with the mobile phone, they could actually innovate.

We were all teenagers once; we all know that space very well. It’s hard and back then, when you were bullied, you were bullied. But now, it’s a terrible thing that’s being done with these tools and what we’re seeing now is a high rate of suicide amongst children teenagers particularly.

I mean it depends on the geography, but it’s something to pay attention to.

CFA: Interesting! I mean, everything you said is happening already. These are real challenges. It begs the question of why and what needs to happen. What are some of your thought on the way forward?

Monique: That’s a great question, Fred. I mean, there are areas that we have to think about. How is it in the home? If you think about it, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates never allowed their children to have phones until they were “young adults”. There was a reason for that.

You can watch the full interview here.