Kuwaiti lawyer Mohammad Al-Dallal explained during a seminar he held at the Gulf University for Science and Technology as part of Kuwait's first Social Media Forum, that the current authorities use a clause that mentions abuse 'via telephone or other communication tools'. It is on the last three words, 'other communication tools' that the authorities back up any lawsuits or complaints against cyber defamation, bullying, or fraud.
Al-Dallal notes: "Kuwait still does not mention cyber space in its laws and regulations; it is as if this space, this world wide web, doesn't exist." He says that numerous people attempted to start businesses online, or to launch projects that rely on the Internet, but failed to do so because of the country's backwardness when it comes to the net issues.
This is not due to computer illiteracy. Hundreds of Kuwaitis use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and know how to blog and use the latest technologies. The markets for smartphones and laptops are flourishing in Kuwait today than ever before. The state authorities, however, are either too lazy to learn how to use the Internet, or are too comfortable with using fax machines and phones, a la nineties.
The current e-government project is a joke. It is underdeveloped, and the bureaucrats in the government don't want to be replaced by something as efficient as computers and Internet," said Al-Dallal, openly jabbing government bureaucrats. He added that several GCC states, ones that Kuwait used to pride itself in surpassing, have become way more successful today than Kuwait was.
Some GCC states have laws regarding cyberspace and Internet that date back to 2001, while we have only one law that mentions 'Internet' which doesn't even concern individuals; it concerns banning pornography and terrorism websites, so it directly speaks to the Internet service providers, not the users," he explains.
On prowl for tech The lawyer stated that authorities must look at new technologies as blessings that can bring so much positivity into the workflow of ministries and government bodies. "The sad truth of the matter is that before authorities set rules about new technologies, they are too worried legislating punishments, as if technology really is a curse that only brings negativity," he said.
Al-Dallal gave an example to illustrate this point by discussing Bluetooth. "Nobody uses this technology anymore to send information; today people use it for wireless printers and headsets, but the authorities were blind to the positive side of this technology and focused instead on how to limit it because of its abuse by some youngsters," he added.
There is so much that goes on online, and due to the large amount of interaction on the web, there is a dire need for laws and legislations that regulate the use of Internet. "With the use of the Internet, there are literally no physical borders. It is a great tool that people use to communicate with one other. Politicians and activists use it as their main asset for delivering their message. Internet is no longer for chatting and playing online games; it is bigger than this," he explained.
With that said, there were few attempts by parliament members and government officials to finish a draft law concerning regulations and laws for the Internet though it is not on the priority list of the authorities yet. "We are still optimistic, we hope that a year from now we will have a clear law that protects copyrights and people on the cyber space." But without pushing and pressuring officials on this, we know for a fact that the bureaucrats won't let it become a reality.
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Quelle/Source: TMC Net, 01.04.2011
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