The phrases "cyber safety" and "cyber lives" may seem vague and not very well understood among Bangladesh's netizens. Yet, every day it seems as if understanding the nuances of the lives we lead online has become crucial. On December 13, Sister Library hosted their newest event, 'Catfish and Avatars', which laid the groundwork for an open discussion about the many ways the platform provided by the internet, and social media in particular, has been subjected to abuse and misuse. The event was organised jointly by Star Books and Literature along with Sister Library, in a collaborative effort among experts to bring to light the problems around cyber safety.

Katerina Don, curator of HerStory Foundation, added that the group behind this project was founded by Saiq'a Chowdhury and is supported by Sister Library. She said, "Other group members include distinguished journalists, lawyers, academics, and software engineers."

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The event was split into four segments, each of which delved deeper and deeper into the myriad of questions that arise with a topic such as this. The discussions took place in the presence of Sharmeen Murshid, Adviser to the Ministry of Women and Children's Affair and the Ministry of Social Welfare of the Interim Government. There was, perhaps, no better person to partake in the conversations as all the talking points eventually led to an attempt to understand how women and minority communities have suffered greatly, especially in the last few months, due to a lack of regulation on the internet.

Kicking things off was a modest poetry session, with poems revolving around the theme of the Internet—the lives lived in it and the ways in which it has become a modern graveyard. Following this, came Barrister Priya Ahsan Chowdhury, who delved into the legalities of cyber safety, and the many issues that may arise with attempting to ban certain uses of language. After all, attempting to regulate what people say can be a slippery slope if not handled carefully. The talk was an in-depth session focused on the technical aspects of cyber safety from a lawyer's perspective.

This was quickly followed up by the interactive part of the event: an intimate discussion session moderated by Nazia Manzoor, Editor, Star Books and Literature, where all participants sat in a circle, bringing up different points of contention that come with cyber safety. Issues such as the spread of misinformation, and how that spreads mob hatred against minority communities as well as women were brought up. Furthermore, the discussions were taken to a policy level, bringing into question social media platforms like Meta and X's policies in regulating social media abuse and misinformation.

Adviser Sharmeen Murshid wrapped up the discussions, highlighting every point that had been discussed. "The bottom line is regulation, sanction, definition," she said, highlighting the importance of clarifying what we define as abuse in a cyber space before taking regulatory actions against it.

Katerina Don, curator of HerStory Foundation, added that the group behind this project was founded by Saiq'a Chowdhury and is supported by Sister Library. She said, "Other group members include distinguished journalists, lawyers, academics, and software engineers. The common objective here is to share ideas and knowledge to expand our understanding of cyberspace in Bangladesh. This is triggered by an increase in technology-enabled online violence since the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe it is our responsibility to improve awareness of digital risks and rights."

The discussions, though preliminary, paved a path for further conversations with experts, academicians, lawyers, policymakers, and many more to bring important changes to how we exist online.

The final segment of the event was a zine-making workshop, hosted by Sister Library's Katerina Don. Zines, by now, have become synonymous with Sister Library's identity; this event even showcased a zine compilation from a previous workshop held in August. After a long session filled with discussions on cyber safety, a workshop allowing for self-expression was a great way to further encourage conversations around cyber lives to continue.

Raian Abedin is a poet, a student of Biochemistry, and a contributor to The Daily Star.