Shboul highlights ‘quest for digital sovereignty’ at 53rd Council of Arab Media Ministers

AMMAN — Minister of Government Communications Faisal Shboul on Wednesday participated in the 53rd ordinary session of the Council of Arab Media Ministers in Rabat.

During the meeting, Shboul, who is also the government spokesperson, highlighted the Arab world's ongoing struggle to keep pace with its international counterparts in the "quest for digital sovereignty", and the struggle to safeguard the interests of Arab societies in an “increasingly self-centred world”.

The minister said that there are around 175 million Internet users in the Arab world, who both positively and negatively contribute to Arabic language content. Shboul noted that this content creation and Internet use results in billions of dollars of income within the industry.

Drawing attention to potential risks of social media platforms, he highlighted issues such as the dissemination of free content, hate speech, the spread of misinformation and infringements of privacy, especially those which target vulnerable groups like children and women.

Shboul emphasised that this analysis is part of a collective Arab endeavour to address these growing challenges, taking cues from global experiences with a particular focus on European strategies. He revealed that following a mandate from the Council of Arab Media Ministers, Jordan prepared a unified Arab strategy and a draft law to negotiate with international media companies.

Jordan also dispatched a delegation to Germany to study its expertise in dealing with international media companies and learn about relevant legislative and procedural policies within the EU, Shboul said.

Arab countries hold significant negotiating power in front of international media companies, Shboul said, adding that this power could be used to “reclaim lost rights” on political issues such as the Palestinian cause, fighting Islamophobia and preserving Arab culture and the Arabic language.

The minister proposed the creation of an Arab technical team to devise a negotiation mechanism, based on the unified strategy and guiding law, to initiate negotiations with international media companies.

In his address, Shboul also extended his gratitude to Morocco for hosting the meetings and commended Egypt for its efforts during its presidency of the 52nd session of the council.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Shboul met with Libyan Minister of State for Communication and Political Affairs Walid Lafi over potential areas for cooperation in the media and communication fields. 

Lafi expressed interest in learning from Jordan’s media and communication expertise, and boosting personnel training in these areas.