At a time when accessibility to information has reached its peak, the Cybercrime Department of the General Department for Criminal Investigations under the Ministry of Interior, has managed to track and shut down over hundreds of fake and ghost accounts on social media, particularly on Twitter, as these have become spawning ground of lies, fake news and threats to the unity of the nation, as shared in a report by the Arab Times.
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Many of the people associated to these fake and ghost accounts have already been tracked, and put to trial. This action is necessary in preserving peace and order in Kuwait according to the Ministry of Interior.
Misuse Social Media could get you to Jail or pay a Fine in Kuwait
The department has come up with a list of users on Twitter who are handling such notorious accounts in order to locate and track them down so that they can be put to trial.
The General Department for Criminal Investigations is wasting no time in dealing with malicious rumours and fake news which were fabricated with the intention of creating dissent and instability within the country.
Fake accounts are typically used both from within and outside the country to spread rumours and false news, which in effect, harm the interest of the country (national unity) or entity it is used against. In Kuwait alone, the Cybercrime Department has handled nearly 2,000 cases since January up until the end of October for e-crimes which include extortion, defamation, piracy, and identity theft.
The latest statistics revealed that the number of social media users in Kuwait has gone up to close to 3 million, with over a million being on Twitter. In Kuwait, misconduct through the use of (fake) social media accounts is punishable by up to three years of imprisonment and a hefty fine between KD 3,000 and KD 10,000.