Jordanians target of 220,000 fake social media accounts — Shboul

AMMAN — Jordanian citizens have fallen victim to a large-scale social media campaign that involved 220,000 fake accounts orchestrated by an external entity, Minister of Government Communications Faisal Al Shboul said on Monday.

During a session of the Lower House's Legal Committee regarding the 2023 bill on cybercrime, Shboul emphasised the urgency of regulating the digital sphere and safeguarding the online environment. All steps taken in this regard must strike a balance between freedom of expression and online safety, he said.

Existing legislation has already addressed two critical aspects of digital regulation: The emergence of new forms of cybercrime and legal loopholes.

Actions deemed illegal in the physical world will be considered illegal in the virtual world as well, Shboul stressed.

European nations have largely implemented laws to safeguard children on social media platforms, the minister noted, calling for Jordan to implement similar controls over the digital sphere.

Shboul also drew attention to the significant amount of revenue that Jordan’s traditional advertising market is losing to social media advertisements, which is projected to reach approximately $116 million. Local media outlets have received less than half of that amount in advertising revenue, according to Al Mamlaka TV.

Chairing part of the session, Lower House Speaker Ahmad Safadi urged the head of the Parliamentary Legal Committee, Ghazi Al Thneibat, to engage journalists and lawyers' unions, civil society organisations, universities and all relevant stakeholders in discussions on the draft of the 2023 Cyber Crimes Law, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Safadi also emphasised the House's support for public freedoms, and called on the government to intensify awareness campaigns over the proposed law to clarify any confusion surrounding the bill.