Parental awareness, stiff laws vital in combating cybercrime, say experts 

AMMAN —  Parental awareness along with strict government policies hold key to preventing children from falling prey to cyber crimes, say experts.

The Cybercrime Unit of the Public Security Directorate on Tuesday said that cybercrimes have increased six-fold since 2015, attributing the surge to the widespread use of technology, smartphone applications and social media.

Hussam Khattab, a cybersecurity expert, highlighted the need for a comprehensive awareness, inclusive of all age groups.

“Parents must play an important role in monitoring children, their behaviour and the sites they use. There are options to protect children from cybercrimes and parents can download apps that are made only for children,” Khattab told The Jordan Times.

Tareq Al Qudah, a lawyer and cybersecurity expert, stressed the need for a deterrent punishment for perpetrators of cybercrimes.

“If the judiciary keeps applying the minimum punishment, people will keep committing cybercrimes,” Qudah told The Jordan Times.

“Children must be taught how to deal with the digital world and how to protect themselves, he added.

In its report, the Cyber Crime Unit said that due to a growing understanding of rights and ability to litigate, the number of registered crimes increased, as victims are encouraged to file legal complaints.

According to the 2022 report, cybercrimes rose six-fold over the last seven years, jumping from 2,305 cases in 2015 to 16,027 cases in 2022, according to the report.

The unit affirmed that it continues to implement educational campaigns on the dangers of cybercrime in light of the widespread use of social media, which has facilitated the disruption of societal peace through a number of issues, including child abuse.

Calling on social media users to exercise caution when using these platforms, the unit also urged the public to avoid filling in or sending any personal information to unreliable websites, and refrain from clicking fake links that are sent to them for the purposes of hacking their personal accounts, according to the report.