DOHA: Qatar is an active player in promoting the right to privacy in the digital age, said H E Dr Hessa Sultan Al Jaber (pictured), Minister of Information and Communications Technology addressing the fourth Global Conference on CyberSpace 2015 (GCCS 2015) held on April 16-17 in the Hague, the Netherlands.
“Qatar has taken steps into transitioning from a traditional hydro-carbon based economy to a Digital Economy. We have grown extremely fast and are constantly developing with high adoption rates of ICT. However, digital inter-connectedness is only beneficial if we can ensure our citizens and businesses are safe in the digital world that we are transitioning to,” said Dr Al Jaber. “In data privacy Qatar is an active player in promoting the right to privacy in the digital age. We support the United Nation’s efforts in this regard,” she added.
Representatives from governments, private sector and civil society gathered in the conference to promote practical cooperation in cyberspace, enhance cyber capacity building and knowledge exchange, and discuss norms for responsible behavior in cyberspace.
The Minister urged all countries to consider that privacy is not just a technological challenge; it is a people centric issue. Governments need to strike a balance between the citizen’s natural aspirations to protect their information while also enabling business to grow. Governments should reinforce the mechanisms that promote transparency and open data access. With regards to social and economic growth, Qatar has created environment that fosters ICT innovation, through the development of proper legal framework and skills, she added.
HE stressed that members of international community must cooperate in bridging the digital gap they have between one another. The Minister also added that countries must work on their judicial specialties in the field of Cyberspace to suit the initiatives made by the United Nations. Her Excellency noted that one of the most important issues for governments is to protect the national information infrastructure.
Concluding her remarks, the minister highlighted that governments must work together on developing a shared understanding of cyberspace threats. The minsiter added that Qatar supports the report released by the United Nations in Seoul Conference of Cyberspace 2013.
The Peninsula
