Communications and Information Technology Commission Launches Campaign to Raise Awareness of Cybercrime

The Communications and Information Technology Commission in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced today, Sunday 9 Rabi' al-Thani 1435H, the launch of its awareness campaign to introduce the Anti-Cyber Crime Law and raise the level of awareness of ways to combat cybercrime, clarify users' rights as guaranteed by the law, and raise awareness of ways to prevent falling victim to any type of such crimes.

The campaign aims to draw the attention of telecommunications and IT service users in Saudi society to the seriousness of cybercrime, warn against carelessness or negligence when handling information, clarify the responsibilities of the entities concerned with combating cybercrime, in addition to clarifying the responsibilities and penalties for perpetrators of cybercrime, as well as explaining litigation avenues and complaint mechanisms for those who fall victim to this type of crime.

For his part, Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Malik, Director General of Public Relations and Media and Official Spokesperson for the Commission, stated: "The Commission recognizes the urgent need to raise awareness of the dangers of cybercrime and the misuse of telecommunications and IT services, particularly as they have become noticeably widespread across internet platforms. This campaign therefore comes in response to this need, and as a continuation of the Commission's approach to awareness-raising — namely, providing users with the necessary knowledge when using technology, along with introducing the preventive measures that protect users from falling victim to any cybercrime."

The campaign will include an explanation of the types of cybercrime and the mechanisms for dealing with them, the most prominent of which are: identity theft, defamation, extortion, leaking and publishing confidential correspondence, downloading unreliable software, hacking websites, and online fraud, as well as introducing the official bodies that should be contacted when exposed to any of these crimes. The campaign will also outline the general rights and duties of users when dealing with telecommunications and IT services. For more information about the campaign, please visit the Commission's website, www.cst.gov.sa.