Muscat: The number of cybercrimes committed against children in Oman rose sharply this year, new figures have shown.
In a report by the Information Technology Authority, 35 cases of cyber crimes involving children were recorded in the first six months of this year. In the startling report, in 2018, however, only 22 cases were reported.
Most of these cases were related to e-blackmailing, cyberbullying, fraud and revenge. According to the report, minors between 13 and 16 years have been the victims of the cybercrimes during the period.
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According to Aziza Al Rashdi, Director of Professional Cybersecurity Services at ITA it is critical that both parents and authorities did their upmost to ensure children were protected from the dangers of the internet.
“Yet, the number of cases is increasing. In 2019, from Jan 1st to June 30th, about 35 cases were reported including e-blackmail, cyberbullying, fraud and revenge. However, we believe that most cases were not reported due to community restrictions. Addiction to electronic games is also another worrying issue. Many families have requested to get such games blocked in the Sultanate”, Aziza added.
On Sunday, ITA hosted Shurkum Initiative, under the theme ‘Protecting Kids in Cyberspace, Current Situation and suggestions’.
