LOC23:35
20:35 GMT
KUWAIT, June 22 (KUNA) -- Minister of Justice Yaqoub Al-Sane said Monday cybercrime prevention law, recently endorsed by parliament, would provide legal protection and guarantee privacy specially regarding bank accounts and online payment.
The cybercrime preventoin law aims at preserving social stability, and only punishing people who run online networks designed to publish pornographic materials, inciting pornography or offending others, Al-Sane, also Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, said.
He was answering a KUNA question regarding social media reports that state institutions would be monitoring telecommunication means.
Al-Sane said Kuwait was keen on updating its legislations to cope with information technology development, specially following some cybercrime attempts.
He assured people that this law aimed at "protecting the society, individuals and general security from online abuse so they can use their electronic devices freely."
Cybercrimes largely exceed other types of crimes in Kuwait, said Al-Sane, "therefore it is necessary to have this law which stipulates punishment and gaurantees social security against whoever abuses the internet."
The major objective of the cybercrime prevention law, he added, was responsible freedom.
"I cannot, nor any of the ministers, accept the monitoring of mobile phones or emails in the country of freedoms and democracy. Everybody has the right to use these mobile devices without being monitored," said Al-Sane.
The social media reports suggesting the cybercrime law was a spying tool and designed to limit freedoms "is baseless and not true," he said. (end)
jy.bs