Hey everyone, I want to share something that happened recently. It’s not just a story; for me, it’s a straight-up tragedy.
Last weekend, my school organized a big workshop about staying safe online. Sounds good, right? They brought in some fancy tech company to run it, and I was actually kind of excited at first. I mean, who wouldn’t want to learn how to stay safe from hackers and scams?
But then it all went downhill.They started saying things that honestly felt like fear-mongering. Like, “Don’t visit the dark web, or you’ll definitely get hacked.” Umm, what? Then they said using a VPN is illegal because it’s used to access “blocked content.” Seriously? A VPN is a tool, not some criminal gadget.
It didn’t stop there. They told us we should only use Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo for emails—because apparently, only “reputable companies” can protect your data. Oh, and they insisted we should only browse the internet on Chrome or Safari. No Firefox, no Brave. They even said we must have antivirus software on every single device. And guess what? They conveniently recommended some lame antivirus they were clearly being paid to promote.
Then came the worst part. They started talking about cryptocurrency, specifically Bitcoin. The presenter called it a “stupid, unreliable currency” and claimed it’s only popular with hackers, criminals, and drug dealers. According to them, Bitcoin is a trap, and anyone who buys it will regret it “till their last breath.” I couldn’t believe the nonsense they were saying
The workshop was attended by all the students and their parents. They went on to say parents should spy on their kids’ devices, look for apps like VPNs, Tor, or even something as random as two calculator apps (??). They told them to check our browsing history and block us from using any forums or chat apps.
By then, I was very angry. It felt like they were trying to brainwash everyone.The presenter even tried to scare everyone into believing Bitcoin was created by a secret group of hackers and could be hacked any day now thanks to advancements in AI. Like, what? After the workshop ended, my emotions were all over the place. On one hand, I laughed because the things they said were so ridiculous. But mostly, I felt sad and angry. Sad because they probably scared off future Bitcoin enthusiasts who could’ve helped drive the crypto revolution. And angry because I know they were wrong, but my school and teachers just let them spread these lies.
When I got home, my friends and I jumped on a Google Meet to talk about it. Most of them were freaked out. They started enabling MFA (which is good) and using stronger passwords. But then they went full-on paranoid mode and started deleting non-big tech apps and switching to Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator. I tried suggesting open-source alternatives that are way better, but no one listened to me. I mean, who’s going to trust a 16-year-old crypto noob LOL
At dinner, my parents brought it up too. They weren’t as paranoid as the other parents, but they did warn me to be careful online. They also said they wouldn’t spy on me, which was a relief. What they don’t know is that I actually hold some Bitcoin. I got it by exchanging cash with my cousin (money I saved from my allowance and doing odd jobs for almost a year. It’s not much, but I’m proud of it) Still, after that workshop, I know I can’t tell my parents about it.
This whole experience just made me realize how easily we can get brainwashed, especially when it comes from experts. I wish I could do something. But for now, I guess I’ll just keep learning about it more on my own.