Anarchy can be sown in young minds by using cyberspace tools: CM Fadnavis

Mumbai, Oct 3 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday warned that tools available in cyberspace can be used to "hack" young minds and spread anarchy.

While the armed Maoist insurgency has been almost finished off in Maharashtra, one person "sitting in a room" and planting propaganda against India's constitutional system in people's minds poses a big danger, Fadnavis said during the inauguration of Cyber Awareness Month at the state police headquarters here.

Cyberspace not only facilitates communication but "it can hack your mind", he said.

On a platform like YouTube, once you see a video, similar content pops up, said Fadnavis, adding, "This is a tool which actually hacks your mind." "Now it is easy to sow anarchy in people's heads. Because you can sow it in a very personalised way....chatbots have become personal psychologists, they offer you counselling. But at the same time, through all these tools, data of one whole generation can be hacked and experiments can be carried out on them....anarchist ideas can be planted in their heads. We must think about this danger," the CM said.

Young minds are rebellious in formative years and they ask questions to the system which is good, Fadnavis said. But this can be used both positively and negatively, he cautioned.

The danger posed by "urban Maoism" is that it creates negativity in people's minds about the constitutional systems of India, he said.

While the armed Maoism is on the verge of end in Maharashtra, this new danger has come up, the chief minister stated.

"One person sitting in a room, planting anarchist thoughts in the minds of many people and creating anti-constitutional views by saying our judicial system is bad, our ways of functioning are bad... this is a big battle which we will have to fight," he said.

Children will have to be taught about safety in cyberspace from as early as Class 3, Fadnavis said. PTI DC KRK