Winds and Pegs: Preliminary Remarks on the New Media Regulation Bill
Criticism of the false attribution and insult to the judiciary for omitting privacy protection
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
I quickly reviewed what was published on social media under the title “The New Media Regulation,” particularly the section titled “Prohibitions in Media Content.” The post was presented as a list of points rather than as a series of legal articles, and several points caught my attention.
Point eight states: “Prohibition of violating individuals’ privacy or insulting them.” This is a required provision and already exists in the current Law No. 3/2006. However, the proposed text omitted an important clause present in the current law: “attributing false statements or actions to them.” This clause is essential, as most insults directed at officials and individuals nowadays involve the dissemination of fabricated statements attributed to them, often accompanied by their images. For example, strange tweets attributed to three Kuwaiti women—Dr. Moudi Al-Humoud, Dr. Asil Al-Awadi, and Latifa Al-Hamidi—circulated on social media five days ago. I contacted my former colleague, Dr. Moudi, by phone, and she confirmed that the tweets were fabricated.
Personally, several insulting statements attributed to me have been published despite my never having uttered them, underscoring the need to reinstate the aforementioned clause.
Furthermore, it is notable that the prohibitions do not include the provision banning “insulting or demeaning members of the judiciary and the public prosecution, or any act that undermines the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.” This provision exists in the current law; is its omission intentional or merely an oversight?
Finally, I observed that the new draft mentions “influencers” in the section titled “Influencers and Advertisers under the Legal Umbrella.” While the term “advertisers” is clear, the term “influencers” requires a precise definition, as this section mandates that they obtain the required licenses and imposes penalties for any violations they commit. It is well established that defining all terms is a fundamental aspect of legislation.
