Financial extortion, theft, threats and online abuse top electronic-related crimes in the Kingdom, Ibrahim Al-Zamzami, lawyer and legal adviser has said.

During a workshop of the Annual Forum for Lawyers in Jeddah, he said acts such as tweeting cannot be entirely outlawed as they are an expression of opinion, unless they are offensive and cause harm or damage to another party.

Offensive and illegal acts can be subject to punishment once the content is analyzed and determined by authorities to be a violation of the system of electronic publications, he explained.

If the content is considered a crime, the case is transferred to courts, and if it is considered a violation of the system of electronic publications, it is transferred to a specialized committee at the Ministry of Information, he said.

“Even re-tweeting or publishing offensive or illegal content is considered a crime in itself and subject to punishment, even if the re-tweeter or publisher did not come up with the offensive content themselves,” explained Al-Zamzami.

He called on relevant authorities to adapt and review texts of the information crimes system, as well as intensify awareness efforts to limit issues of blackmail, threats and online abuse.

Regarding the annual forum, Ahmed Al-Saqiyah, former head of the commercial department at the Board of Grievances, said the participation of experienced lawyers and jurists from different backgrounds at the meeting allows for greater learning and benefit for all.