As movies often dramatize reality, the question we should ask is how much of what we watch on television is the truth? How much of The Big Bang theory has informed our knowledge about theoretical physicists and how much do we know is true of a doctor’s day-to-day life compared to what we watch on Grey’s Anatomy? To shed light on what professionals actually face compared to what we see in dramas, two lecturers from INTI International University & Colleges came together to debunk a few myths on how jobs are portrayed on the big screen, and shares what really goes on in the real world.
Shanmuga Sundram teaches cybersecurity in the Faculty of Australian Programmes at INTI International College Subang
Cybersecurity
Be it through spies on a mission to save the world by hacking into devices or through police officials looking to catch the bad guy by tracking down their location, Shanmuga Sundram, a senior lecturer for cybersecurity at INTI International College Subang, reveals a few hard truths about the world of cybersecurity attacks.
Shan shares scenarios that are often misconstrued in movies involves the simplification of cyberattacks.
“In movies, we often see how easily characters break into complex systems or devices by scanning pictures or tapes of fingerprints. Some even duplicate retinal prints through contact lenses! In reality, imitating a person’s fingerprint or retina is almost impossible due to the uniqueness of an individual’s prints, hence why more organisations today are heavily adopting biometrics security systems,” said Shan.
He continues, “Also, depending on the complexities of the security system, it would be highly improbable for someone to break into another person’s device or security system just by shoulder surfing someone for a password.”
Shan explained that most systems can be protected by a multi-factor authentication, which could include combinations of passwords and code verifications for example. It is simply not enough to catch a peep of someone’s password if you intend on breaking into someone’s device. He continued by stating that it is even more difficult to do this right now given the social distancing protocols we have due to the pandemic.
He also adds, “Passwords are also heavily encrypted information that requires sophisticated software, skills and expertise for hackers to break into, so the possibility of hacking into these systems are unrealistic when seen on the big screen,” shared Shan.
Shan also explains that the speed in which cyberattacks are portrayed is not an actual representation of how it is in real life.
“We often see hackers being able to quickly break into systems in the blink of an eye. In reality, breaking into a system can take weeks or even up to years,” he clarified.
Harpajan Singh Tara Singh currently teaches law in INTI International University
Law
Harpajan Singh Tara Singh, a law lecturer at INTI International University and former lawyer, offers his insights into the real world of chambers and courtrooms.
According to Harpajan, movies are often guilty for inaccurately portraying the likelihood of cases getting tried in court.
“In real life, criminal cases undergo an investigatory process to determine if it needs to be tried in the court of law. Part of this process includes having the public prosecutors determine which cases should go to trial based on the strength of the evidence, therefore, not all criminal cases get to go for full hearings. Movies tend to paint the notion that every crime reported will proceed to court, but this is simply not true,” explains Harpajan.
He also goes on to add that everyone in the courtroom, especially lawyers, have an obligation to uphold the dignity of the Court by respecting and maintaining it at all times through following courtroom etiquettes.
“As professionals that uphold the rule and court of law, courtroom decorum is key. It is highly unprofessional for lawyers to shout out, “Objection!” while the opposing counsel is presenting and lawyers are also not allowed to walk about the centre of the court (known as the well) while presenting their arguments. In real life, we would often present our arguments from our seats standing up and if we want to object anything of the opposing team, we need to follow the rules dictating how and when we can use it,” Harpajan said.
He adds, “We are also not allowed to address the opposing counsel directly, nor approach the judge’s bench whenever we want. Instead, the matter needs to be taken in private in the judge’s chambers or have it raised directly before the court.”
Harpajan also clarifies that the dress code often depicted in Hollywood’s American courtrooms typically entails suits, ties and formal wear. He clarifies that in countries like Malaysia, Singapore and the United Kingdom, lawyers don special attires when presenting cases in the higher courts. For example, lawyers dress in robes when presenting before the High Court and other higher courts in the hierarchy. He explains that this is a historical tradition from the British legal system.
He also adds that there is no banging of the gavels in courtrooms while the judge shouts out “Order!”, because the judge, above anyone else, needs to display the highest levels of courtroom decorum. He explains that as a matter of fact, there are no gavels for judges in the Malaysian courtroom.