By Matters India Reporter

Patna: While Information Technology offers many resources for development, it is being misused as well. Hence there is need of ethical guidelines to use technology for human development.

This was highlighted in a one-day seminar on Sept 29 at Arcade Business College (ABC), Danapur-Khagaul Road, Patna. Over 260 participants, including BCA and BBA students from two colleges, profited much from the inputs by experts at the Seminar.

The Seminar on the theme, “Information Technology Resources for a Better Society” was organized by Xavier Institute of Social Research (XISR) in collaboration with ABC and Indian Institute of Science and Religion (IISR), Delhi.

At the inaugural Session, the Chief Guest, Dr. Girish Chowdhary, Pro-VC of Patliputra University, Patna said since 1980s Information Technology (IT) has become indispensible in life. “The question is how to use it, as there is much misuse of it. We want to guide the students how not to misuse it,” he said.

In his key note address, Dr. Fr. Job Kozha, Director of IISR, highlighted the relation between science and religion. Both are needed. But science without religion is lame, and religion without science is blind, he said.

The youth of today are passionately attached to the Internet which has both positive and negative effects, said Dr. Prabhat Kumar, Head of the Department, Computer Science and Engineering and Professor-in-charge of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Patna. While it is a very useful tool of communication, it has been used to harm society and even to frighten society.

Speaking on the power of the digital revolution, Shaileh Srivastava, Head, Digital Government Research Centre, Patna, said the Government’s e-governance system has covered some 640 district centres across the country. We focus on consolidation of soft-ware based services. Elaborating on the various steps taken by the Government, he said there are limitations to privacy of individuals. Hence we to balance soft technology with individual freedom and rights, he added.

Speaking on Artificial Intelligences, Dr. Jyoti Prakash Singh of NIT, Patna said AI help in decision making by humans. So it is very much useful, but we should be guided by human values, he said.

On “Cyber Crimes and Ethics”, Mr. Shashi Kant Pandey, IT Deptt, Govt of India, said social media is like a virus which catches the youth today. While one can use it profitably to network with others and acquire knowledge, it is being misused by anti-social elements to commit crimes, create violence and fear in society. Apprising the students on various types of cyber crimes he asked, “When you are in danger or injured in an accident, will your Facebook friends will come and save you, or donate blood to a dying person? “Today social media has become anti-social media,” he said.

We have profited much from the inputs, said Alka Kumari, ABC student. Kundan Kumar said he learnt life’s lesions from the seminar.

Earlier, Aashish Aadarh, director of ABC Colleges welcomed the participants. Explaining the dynamics of the seminar, Chief Organizer Father Jose Kalapura of XISR said that students and youth of today need ethical guidance on the use of technology, particularly cyber technology.