RIYADH, 1 December 2007 — On behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan will open a conference on technological developments in national security efforts.
The four-day conference, titled “Information Technology and National Security,” is being organized by the Presidency of General Intelligence, which is headed by Prince Muqrin.
In a statement issued on the eve of the conference, Prince Muqrin said this event would be a historical first in the annals of the Saudi intelligence since the event coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Presidency of General Intelligence.
A number of experts, researchers, academics and persons concerned with information technology and national security from across the world are slated to participate in the conference.
A total of 38 scientific research papers will be presented at the conference. The first scientific session will begin tomorrow.
According to Prince Muqrin, Saudi Arabia’s intelligence operations are set to undergo restructuring to cope with current technological challenges.
“Saudi intelligence will compete with international intelligence agencies,” he said. “This requires that we restructure our work to cope with global information and knowledge.”
Prince Muqrin called on Saudis to do more to help the government monitor Internet usage to help fight Islamic militancy.
“We want to teach citizens how to monitor things on the Internet,” he said. “Mom and dad must pay more attention to their kids.”
