THE campaign to correct the labor and legal status of expatriates is coinciding with a malicious campaign that aims to tarnish the image of Saudi Arabia. Some foreign nationals, who have a hidden agenda of spreading venom against the Kingdom, are behind this social media campaign, communications experts have claimed. Speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette, some experts said stringent measures needed to be taken against those behind such acts. They also called for increasing awareness among members of the society to be wary of such behavior. Saud Kateb, chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry's committee for communications and information technology, said some sites and video clips circulate incorrect and fabricated versions about the Kingdom. “These campaigns are not accepted even by the expatriate communities in the Kingdom as they all know well the nature of the Saudi society. “These people are distorting things by misusing advanced technology in a way serving their ulterior motives and vested interests.” Kateb noted that the new generation of media has several pros and cons. The biggest disadvantage is the difficulty in regulating this media. He said: “As for traditional media, it would not publish any piece of news until its credibility was thoroughly checked. “However, this is not the case with the new media, as anyone can circulate any information without verifying whether it is true or not.” According to Kateb, new media enables anyone to circulate any piece of news, whether it is useful or harmful. He said: “It is unfortunate that some of us are also playing a role in circulating such video clips and thus becoming part of popularizing them indirectly, firstly by watching them and then passing them to others via WhatsApp and social networking sites. “This helps those behind such malicious campaigns to realize their goals easily.” Kateb stressed the need for stepping up efforts to counter such campaigns by increasing the level of public awareness, besides acquiring the skills and knowledge on how to effectively use social networking sites. “We have to choose the best content to watch and also we should be keen to ensure that they serve our public interests.” Ali Al-Khazan, who works in advertising, noted that there are some countries that produce offensive films and video programs. He said: “They also unleash a campaign with the aim of harming the Kingdom's image. “There should be decisive measures to effectively counter this, and media has to play a crucial role in this regard.” Al-Khazan also underscored the need for naming and shaming members of the expatriate community who are engaged in illegal activities like drug dealing, liquor peddling and circulating pornographic material. “It is high time to pump more investments into the communications and IT committee to make it more effective and competitive in countering malicious campaigns as well as to increase the awareness of people.” Khaled Abu Rashid, lawyer and legal expert, emphasized that stringent penal action should be taken against those who are involved in cyber crimes. He said: “Article three of the Law to Combat Cybercrimes specifies a one year jail term and a maximum fine of SR500,000 for those convicted. He called for stiffer punishments if those convicted of such crimes are proven to have harmed the reputation of society and the country's public interests. Nawaf Al-Bouq, spokesman for Jeddah Police, said several cybercrimes have been detected recently. He said: “There is a cybercrime division under the Criminal Investigation Department that is tasked with addressing all the cybercrimes in cooperation with concerned agencies such as the Ministry of Culture and Information and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. “We then refer these offenses to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution, which investigates the charges against suspects before taking punitive measures.”
