on Sunday 11th June, 2012, at the Intercontinental Hotel Muscat, a 2-day workshop entitled Cybercrime: Challenges and Solutions opened the Intercontinental Hotel Muscat. Organized by the Information Technology Authority (ITA), the workshop is being held under the auspices of HE Dr. Yahya bin Nasser Al Khusaibi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Legal Affairs.

Dr. Salim Sultan Al Ruzaiqi, ITA’s CEO, and Omar Salim Al Shanfari, Deputy CEO for Infrastructure and eServices, were in attendance along with an audience comprised of about 150 attendees from public sector institutions, judiciary, students in the Faculty of Law and others who work in the legal and IT fields across the Sultanate.

The purpose of this workshop is to promote awareness of the seriousness of IT crimes, and the resulting threat to information security. The workshop also provides ideal opportunity to share information regarding the various legal aspects of cybercrime, in addition to the economic, cultural and social impact of cybercrimes. The overall aim is to make people aware of the risks and current laws governing cyberspace in Oman.

Speaking at the start of the workshop, Mr. Omar Salim Al Shanfari, Deputy CEO for Infrastructure and eServices spoke of the seriousness of cybercrimes and their negative impact on the economies of nations to its security and stability. In its effort to combat cybercrime, the ITA has and continues to give great attention towards creating a safe working environment and address crimes of electronic data security and integrity of information.

It is important to note that the Sultanate accords special attention to the legislative aspect of facing cybercrimes head-on. When the Omani Penal Code was amended in 2001, a special chapter entitled Computer Crime was added. The ITA also drafted the eTransaction Law (69/2008) and later, the Cybercrimes Law was passed under Royal Decree (12/2011), at the first integrated law dealing with cybercrime in the Sultanate.

Continuing for two days, the many topics up for discussion include the following: the new generation of cybercrime; protection of children online; international experiences in the face of crime related to IT; the Sultanate’s own experiences from the OCERT, public prosecution and legislative points of view; and, the current procedural aspects of the cybercrime laws in Oman