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On Sunday, the official website of Kirori Mal College was hacked. 

Hacking of college websites has now become a pan-university phenomenon. Almost on a monthly basis, instances of college websites being hacked are heard of. The recent hack of the UPSC Website saw the set-up of a new benchmark in the field of unethical-hacking. It seems as if the hackers are on a get-set-hack spree, smiting college-after college. This time, they made the official website of Kirori Mal College, (KMC), their victim.

It was observed on Sunday, September 30, 2018, by some college students that a clumsy notice had been uploaded in the News&Information section of the website. The notice, which seemed highly unprofessional in its language, accused the college student fraternity of accepting bribes during the elections, and that this shall have humongous long term implications. It requested the student fraternity to rise up against corruption in the elections and accused other political parties in the college student union frame of offering “Movie Tickets” in exchange for votes. The notice implored the students to rise up against this activity and proclaim power over their union.

Prima facie, it seems that this has happened in connection to the recent political scenario in the college, where the students in the college were actually offered Free Movie Tickets to shows at Amba Cinema for the movie “STRI”, and the same front emerged victorious in the College Student Union Elections.

According to Shivam, a student from KMC, who wants his course and other relevant details to reamin hidden- “This is obviously something that involves high skill and knowledge pertaining to computers. We had a candidate during the college student union elections who is from the Political Science Department, and has developed the college application as well. This candidate lost the elections to the post of the college president. Hence, it is almost sure that it is him who has done this.”

Although this gives a particular direction to the story, there are also counter-allegations from the supporters of the particular candidate. According to Kuldeep, another student from KMC, “All of this has been done to tarnish the image of our candidate. It is something that has been thought all the way through with profound attention to detail. They know that our candidate shall be the primary suspect, because of his computer based skills. Hence, this is being done post elections to highlight the false statement. Our candidate is a true Kirorian, he would never engage in anything so unethical and disproportionate to his character.”

This incident, apparently, has led to bifurcation of the college fraternity into two fronts. While the administrative investigation is under process, the security layering of the website has been scrutinised, all the loop holes removed and security tightened up to prevent any such incident in the future.

Feature Image Credits – KMC students

Aashish Jain

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The Academic Council (AC) of the University of Delhi, in its third meeting which began yesterday and culminated today morning, has discussed and deliberated on the proposals which were in the pipeline. It has announced decisions which shed light on three prospective courses which should be introduced in the varsity soon: Journalism, Transnational Studies, and, Cyber Security. These courses have received the approval of the Council in principle; with the nitty-gritties of these proposals being left to be chalked out in clarity later.

Delhi School of Journalism

The Council has decided to drop the self-financing clause which had been previously planned, and agreed to send the proposal to the UGC for approval of government funding. Earlier, the Vice Chancellor also suggested that the course would function on a no-profit no-loss basis. Meanwhile, the Council will also consider other avenues for funding; like resorting to philanthropic organisations for scholarships. In addition to the monetary factor, a three-member committee will also be set up to delve into the practical aspects of the course structure, along with the other intricacies of the proposal. The Council has decided to employ teachers on deputation from other colleges to serve as the faculty of the institute, along with those working in eminent media houses to serve as consultants. AC member Pankaj Garg said that such courses are “necessary and important as they enhance the reputation of a university.” The VC proposed Rs. 30,000 per semester for the five-year integrated course, a decision which was met with resistance. The AC members have decided that the committee will deliberate on the fee structure. It will also provide reservation for SC/ST candidates, and offer scholarships to facilitate admissions from the weaker sections of the society.

The establishment of the school has, however, been met with opposition from some members of the Academics for Action and Development (AAD) and University Teachers’ Forum (UTF).
Transnational Studies and Cyber Security

Both these courses have received the nod from the Academic Council. The course for Transnational Studies has been agreed to be developed in layers, with the aim of its establishment as a premier research centre. In the first phase, it will be a virtual platform where scholars and faculty can engage in discussions on a spectrum of research ideas. The University may then approach the UGC to put in money for research and create an exceptional and unique school on established lines. The Cyber Security course is facing debate on securing the UGC funding. A member of the Academic Council says, “You cannot run the specialised courses, like Journalism and Cyber Security, through a self-financing mode.” The Council has decided to approach UGC to obtain funding for the same.

 

The Delhi School of Journalism, which is scheduled to undertake applicants from this academic cycle, will not become operational from July 20th. It would take some time to untangle the web of decisions which are yet to be made. Meanwhile, the varsity will be releasing the first-cut off list for admission into various merit-based courses tonight. You can check the lists here.

 

 

Feature Image Credits: University of Delhi

 

Saumya Kalia

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As a part of initiative ‘Digital India’ taken by Government Of India, All India Women’s Education Association (AIWEFA) conducted a workshop on ‘Cyber Security’ on 22nd September, 2015. The gathering of 500-strong audience was addressed by Asha Chandra, President of AIWEFA, and Sarla Malviya and Anshumann Shukla from Google.

The workshop commenced with the lighting of the symbolic torch as a symbol of reform and empowerment by the Principal of the college and the dignitaries. The workshop focussed on the empowerment of youth as majority users of the web. The speakers enlightened the audience with facts about cyber crimes and loopholes that are often overlooked.

Anamika Das, Vice-President, Students’ Union explains the need for the workshop, “We take online platforms for granted, not realizing that we’re being watched every moment and that our security is also at stake. Such awareness sessions are the need of the hour.”

The workshop covered the main topics like indiscriminate surfing, email threats, social networks and chat groups, Facebook posts, e-frauds, mobile telephony, online harassment, etc. The speakers apprised the students of the dangers of seemingly innocuous browsing, among other themes. It was followed by an interactive session where students sought answers to a plethora of their queries. The speakers were overwhelmed by the response and outcome of the workshop.

Diksha Puri, the General Secretary of Students’ Union, remarked, “The session was very informative, and considering that the threat is real and so close to us, we need to be really aware of such issues. The best part was when we got to know of the cyber laws, the knowledge of which is a weapon against dangers.”

With Inputs from Khyati Srivastava

Featured Image Credits: Collegedunia.com

Kritika Narula

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