Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Yaqoub Al-Sanea has underscored the significance of the law of cyber crimes in light of technological development. The Minister made the statement on Monday during his participation in the first session of the 12th Arab Media Forum that kick-started Sunday under auspices and in the presence of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
The session kicked off under the theme of “media and issues of the society”. He said that Kuwait worked out a law on crimes of information technology, expecting that it will be adopted soon by the National Assembly.
The Minister added that the State has enacted several laws on communications, electronic media, electronic commerce and e-information, calling for curbing the organized cyber crimes. Al-Sanea affirmed that responsible freedom and freedom of expression are allowed, calling for combating destructive ideas posted on the Internet and punishing criminals so as to protect the society. Companies of social media urged the State to develop the regulations and laws to combat e-crimes, he said, noting there are criminals who are destroying economies of countries via the Internet. The Minister said that youth should take their change to express their ideas in line with the laws, indicating there should be a balance between regulations and freedom.
The society needs new regulations on social media, electronic publishing and others, he asserted. For his part, Salem Al- Uthaina, Chairman and CEO of Communications and Information Technology Commission affirmed the importance of security of the internet networks, referring to violations that harm these networks. He said that there is an electronic war and many countries took precautions to protect their systems from being harmed by this war. He noted that the commission achieves its policy through supporting freedom of internet in accordance with the laws, providing services to all people and taking into account the security aspect.
A number of key Arab figures participated in the forum. The figures included Bahraini Minister of Information Isa bin Abdulrahman Al-Hammadi, exforeign minister of Morocco Mohammad bin Essa, Bahraini King’s Advisor Nabeel bin Yacoub Al-Hamar, Member of the Saudi Shura Council Dr Isa Al-Ghaith, and several chief editors and officials of the Arab and Gulf newspapers and satellite TV channels. During meeting with these figures, His Highness the Premier emphasized the role of media in spreading knowledge, raising awareness and promoting enlightenment.