JEDDAH — The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) said it was currently looking into 29 blackmailing cases presented by young women, who preferred the Haia to deal with the issue than police for fear of scandal. Meanwhile, security researcher Mohammed Al-Sariee said 15 percent of blackmailing cases that surfaced during 2015-16 occurred through Snapchat. He said 13 cases have been reported during August, September and October 2016. "Complaints lodged by young women have showed that their social media friends dragged them into scandals by adding their names for Snapchat and publishing their photos and videos through the social media," Al-Sariee told Al-Watan Arabic daily. He said the individuals charged with blackmailing kept their photos and video clips and published them through Instagram. "Some women expressed their surprise when they realized that their pictures and video clips have been seen by men, which they did not like or accept," he explained. Many Saudi women fear to present complaints to police fearing that they would make it a big issue by calling parents, said a Haia official, adding that his department maintains utmost secrecy while dealing with the issue. "Some women resort to the help of hackers or IT experts who are capable of removing their pictures and videos from websites," the official said, adding that blackmailers demand huge amounts to discard pictures and videos of women they possess. Al-Sariee said he had lodged a complaint to Instagram Company last month and asked them to remove the pictures and video clips of girls who have been blackmailed by individuals. Instagram deals with cases of secrecy violation, sexual abuse, threat, impersonation and terrorism against individuals and organizations and stops accounts that violate the company's regulations. "Many women are ignorant about the danger posed by the social media and how it affects them in the future as they upload personal photos taken during wedding and other ceremonies without knowing that blackmailers would misuse them to grab their money," Al-Sariee said. Mohammed Al-Tamyat, a legal consultant, said anybody who publishes photos of others on Snapchat without their permission would face tough punishment under the Information Crime Law including one-year jail or fine of not more than SR500,000 or both punishment. If an Arab is involved in the crime and his country has joined the Riyadh Pact for Judicial Cooperation and Exchange of Prisoners, he/she would serve his jail sentence in his home country. If his/her country did not sign the accord, the verdict should be endorsed by the Saudi Foreign Ministry. Al-Tamyat said individuals who face blackmailing can contact security authorities through "Kulluna Amn" app. They should present a picture of the violation, inform police and get in touch with the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution. The blackmailer will be tried and punished.
