Digi celebrates decade-long commitment for a safer internet

• 10 years of education and partnerships in building resilient and responsible digital citizens, continuous customer engagement to educate on scam and fraud activities
• Launches Yellow Heart Safe Internet portal, a one-stop repository of educational material for all Malaysians

SUBANG JAYA, 9 February 2021 – Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd (“Digi”) marked the 10th anniversary of its flagship Safe Internet programme, underscoring its Yellow Heart brand promise to empower Malaysians with skills to be more resilient and responsible online citizens.

In line with the international Safer Internet Day (SID)’s theme “Together for a better Internet”, Digi continues to engage its stakeholders in a two-pronged approach: to nurture digital resilience and positive digital citizenship behaviour, as well as raise greater awareness on the threats of scam and fraud online.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission in its Internet Users Survey 2020 revealed several findings that require immediate attention and action:

• A 155% increase in the number of children accessing the internet in the past 4 years;
• Children are spending 500% more time online than before due to the pandemic;
• Parents’ awareness of parental control to safeguard children online dropped from 62.4% in 2018 to 53.4% in 2020;
• More than 111% of internet users are likely to encounter online fraud/scam as most of the activities have shifted to digital.

Thus, there is an urgent need to ensure that children and adults alike are equipped with the right knowledge to face potential risks online while maximising the positive impacts of connectivity.

Digi’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Joachim Rajaram said that this was the very reason Digi embarked on the Safe Internet initiative in 2011 and it was what pushed the company to continuously engage Malaysians of all ages in its safe internet awareness to-date.

“Internet access is transformative and can boost economic and social equality - by opening - up opportunities for communities to learn, grow and connect. However, as more aspects of daily life are transacted over the internet – particularly for education, productivity and commerce – it is the responsibility of service providers such as ourselves to combine the services we deliver to customers and society with the guidance needed to wield this tool ably and responsibly,” he said.

A one-stop resource platform easily accessible by all
In conjunction with today’s SID celebration, Digi has made available its Yellow Heart Safe Internet portal - a one-stop repository of educational material to equip Malaysians with the right tools and knowledge using the internet safely. These include guidebooks for parents and children, video series, national syllabus modules and more.

“With most of our activities moving to online, all the resources provided in the portal can help Malaysians build stronger knowledge on cyber risks, and develop their intuition to be more resilient digital citizens,” Joachim added.

Driving awareness on scams and frauds
Recognising that anyone can become a victim of cyber-scams, Digi introduced a scam alert page on its website. Here, internet users can find out more about the growing range of cyber-scams and digital frauds, as well as learn useful tips to identify and avoid them. The page also doubles as a platform for users to file a report to relevant authorities of any malicious cyber-activities they may come across.

Alongside this, Digi’s existing community portal also provides updates on recent scams and frauds while additional cyber-safety awareness for customers are conveyed through SMS messages, social media updates and safety videos which are played at all Digi stores.

“There is still so much to do and as a company anchored on responsible business, we will continue to empower Malaysians to become responsible digital citizens for a safe internet space for all. Everyone has the ability, however small, to make a difference,” added Joachim.

Yellow Heart is Digi’s brand promise to create change and empower Malaysians to make a difference. As Digi aims to continue progressing the nation towards a better future, it strives to connect its customers, partners, community and employees to what matters most.

For more information on Digi’s Yellow Heart efforts, visit www.digi.com.my/yellow-heart and to learn more about Digi’s 10 years of Safe Internet, visit www.digi.my/safeinternet.