• Overview

The Jordanian government is looking forward to using the Internet in e-commerce. To pave the way forward for this, the parliament ratified drafts to facilitate the process. Moreover, the government developed an infrastructure that allows applying these laws. Now, most governmental procedures are applied over the Internet.

During the period between March 2017 to September 2019, the Internet and e-commerce tools varied in the Jordanian Kingdom. This period also witnessed numerous legislative and administrative events to facilitate using modern technology which has been introduced to governmental bureaus.

Developing telecommunications and the Internet, and its increasing use for e-commerce, led to an increase in Internet and social media users allowing them to express their opinions and beliefs. This bothered the government pushing it to impose control on e-media and social media.

 

  • Developments in the ICT Sector

Telecommunication tools vary as there are: landlines and cell phones. It is to be noted that users of landline and cell phones are decreasing in comparison with 2017. In 2019, cell phone users dropped from 14 million to 8.7 million. The reasons for this drop go back to conditions and restrictions on selling cell phone lines in accordance to instructions imposed on cell phone sellers issued in 2017, in addition to taxes imposed on services and sales.

Thousands of families in Jordan abandoned the use of landline leading to the reduction of landline users from 370 thousand to 319 thousand because of the improved services offered by cell phone companies.

The cell phone services are offered by three companies: Zain, Orange, and Omnia, while landline services are offered by “Orange landline”.  [1]

 

  • Legal Environment for the ICT Sector

The Jordanian government failed to pass the cybercrime act in the parliament after amending it. Nevertheless, it succeeded to pass the Cyber Security act, as the parliament ratified it on 30th June 2019.[2] It was suggested to change its title to “Information security” or to be part of the cybercrime act, but both suggestions were rejected.

On the 5th of August 2019, the Senate ratified 5 drafts as it was referred from the parliament, among those drafts was the Cyber Security Act, which was published in the official gazette on 16 September.

The law includes violations against the right to information as it establishes a new body called “National Council for Cyber Security” giving it ultimate authority to block telecommunication networks, information systems, Internet, telecommunication devices and private emails with related bodies of whoever is suspected to commit or participate in any activity that is criminalized in accordance to this law.

The law grants such authority to the National Council in cases of mere suspicions of committing or participating in any activity that is criminalized in accordance to the law, though, such a right is supposed to be exclusive to the judiciary.

On the other hand, the parliament, on 4th July 2017, ratified the amended law for the Data Act year 2017. The law organizes the rules of acceptance to own telecommunication devices and lines. The law considers fax messages, telex and e-mails, and other telecommunication devices as official documents.

 

  • Social Networks

Internet users were enormously engaged on social media platforms to express their views. However, the Jordanian government got upset with the free criticizing opinions and calls for demonstrations, which led it to impose more laws and measures aiming at controlling these websites. Among the measures taken: threatening international companies to impose more taxes on Ads, as the Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, Mothanna Gharaibeh, stated on 24th August 2019 that the ministry is obliged to impose taxes on Ads and pages published on social media and Facebook.

The population in Jordan is around 10.4 million, while Internet users augmented to be about 9 million forming 86% of the population. Facebook users reached around 5.5 million, while Twitter users are approximately 533 thousand.

 

  • Blocking and Surveillance

The Jordanian government applies severe restrictions on publishing on the Internet, as it is obligatorily required to register online news websites to be licensed. The Media Institution has the authority to block websites without judiciary permission. Websites launched abroad were blocked too, though some young people established it abroad to have the benefit of western freedoms.

The Jordanian Media Institution, during March 2019, blocked around 45 websites after a warning sent to website admins to issue or renew their license on 17th February 2019 under the Print and Publishing Act no. 8 for the year 1988 and its amendments no. 32 for the year 2012 as article 49 imposes on websites publishing news, interviews, articles and comments to register and issue a license. All legislation concerning printed and published outlets is applied to websites.

 

Blocking “Al Ordonia” news website:

Jordanian authorities blocked “Al Ordonia” news website hours after launching it on 19th March 2019 without notice, under the pretext of violating license conditions mentioned in the Print and Publishing Act, as it publishes news about Jordan while being issued abroad.

Blocking My.Kali, a website specialized in queer news:

Lawyer Mohamed Al Qatishat, General Director of the Media Institution, decided on 31st July 2017 to block My.Kali website under the pretext of violating article no. 49 of the Print and Publishing Act by not being registered or licensed. The decision came after a complaint filed by MP Dima Tahbob, against the website which is concerned with LGBTQ in Jordan.

It is worth mentioning that My.Kali is the first online magazine in the Middle East and North Africa focusing on the integration of people from different sexual orientations and transsexuals in society. The magazine was founded in 2007, by a group of students to counter homophobia and transphobia, and to defy the gender dichotomy in the Arab region.

 

Blocking “Watan- tweeting outside the flock”

On the 19th of November 2017, Jordanian authorities blocked ‘Watan- tweeting outside the flock” website without a judiciary verdict or warning, under article no. 49 of the Print and Publishing Act.

It is worth mentioning that the Watan website was launched in 1996, the next year, Saudi authorities blocked it, in 2010, the UAE blocked it. After Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, and Egypt decided to boycott Qatar, Egypt and Bahrain decided to block the website.

 

The blocking was not exclusive for the Media Institution, as the Ministry of Telecommunication shared in blocking applications and video games without judiciary permission:

 

Telecommunication blocks Jeni and Queeny applications which provide transportation services:

Mothanna Gharaibeh, Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, on 19th March 2019, vowed to block Jeni and Queeny applications, which provide transportation services after the parliamentary committee for services and transportation received demands from taxi drivers to remove the applications.

 

 

Blocking PUBG

 

On 4th July 2019, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority decided to block PUBG under the pretext of protecting users. The Authority issued instructions to the ISP companies to officially ban the game in Jordan.

 

  • Persecution and Security Threats

Jordanian government persecuted social media activists aiming at silencing criticizing voices and suppressing opposition:

 

Taha al-Daqamseh is imprisoned for “insulting the king”

Security forces summoned activist Taha al-Daqamseh several times then he was summoned in the e-crimes unit. He turned himself in on 21st April 2019. He, then, was tried, unfairly, as he was interrogated about opinions he published on his Facebook account. His lawyer was not allowed to defend him. Two weeks later, Solh Gaza Amman court, on 9th May 2019, sentenced Taha for one year under accusations of “insulting the king” under the e-crimes act articles.

 

Arab Organization for Human Rights and Countering Torture Director is jailed for Video published on Facebook

The Public Prosecutor in Amman, on 2nd September 2019, issued a decision to imprison the director of the Arab Organization for Human Rights and Countering Torture, Abdul Karim Al Sharida, for 14 days in Jowaida prison under accusations of “bad words” on the background of publishing a video on Facebook account, showing him criticizing the monarchy for assigning tribes Sheikhs. The public prosecutor approved releasing Sharida on the 11th of September with a bail.

 

Trying Hesham Ayasra for a video posted on Snapchat

Security forces arrested the student movement activist Hesham Ayasra, Wednesday 26th July 2017, after posted a video on his Snapchat account expressing his opinions about the responsibility of the Jordanian leaders of killing a young man by an Israeli security guard in the Israeli embassy in Amman on 23rd July. Ayasra appeared before the state security prosecution which accused him of inciting against the political regime. He was detained until the state security court approved his release with a bail.

 

Jailing 5 activists under the e-crimes act

On the 25th of October 2017, public prosecutor detained: Islam Al Ayasra, director in chief of “Awa al Ordon” agency, Laith Al Kurdy, from Jafra news website, Jehad Al Batayna from Mubasher 24 website, Ahmed Al Maghraby director in chief of Mehbash News, Morad Dawood Abo Eskandar, from Rassifa news, Amer Al Telawi, from Sakhr news and Ahmed Al Zebn, under accusations of insulting and defaming general secretary of the monarchy Youssef Al Essawi, under the e-crimes act on the background of publishing news about the alleged properties of Youssef Al Essawi.

After interrogating the activist and journalists, they were released except for Ahmed Al Maghraby who was detained for one renewable week in Jowaida Prison.

[1]                             a report in Jifra news titled “Jordanians abandon landline after the reduction of users to 319 in houses and offices – published on 14th March 2019 – last visit 22nd November           2019http://www.jfranews.com.jo/more-226996-6الاردنيونيودعونالهاتفالأراضيمعانخفاضالاشتراكاتلـ(319)-الففيالمنازلوالمكاتب

 

 

 

[2]                  Cybersecurity draft for 2019, published on the parliament website in June 2019 – last visit 21st October http://representatives.jo/sites/default/files/Color0017.pdf