In response to an increasing surge of website violations, including content and regulatory breaches, the Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) in Kuwait has taken strong measures. Since the beginning of this year, the authority has effectively restricted access to 2426 websites found to be in violation of legal statutes and regulatory provisions. During the same timeframe, CITRA has approved 5 requests for unblocking.
Through vigilant oversight initiatives led by CITRA in collaboration with other governmental bodies and relevant entities, the authority has initiated the implementation of protocols outlined in the “Regulations governing the procedures for restricting illicit digital content.” This falls in line with CITRA’s mandate to establish policies and protocols governing access to Internet content, as reported by Al Rai.
In the current year, a total of 2,431 reports of website blockages have been submitted. Government agencies have contributed prominently with 1,651 reports, accounting for approximately 68% of the total submissions. Private entities ranked second with 688 reports, constituting around 28.3%, while individual reports comprised 92 submissions, making up an estimated 3.8%.
The reports received by CITRA cover a wide range of violations leading to website blockages, including infringements of local laws, violations of intellectual property rights, unauthorized publications, malware distribution, electronic phishing, and inappropriate content.
Several fraudulent websites were among those targeted, with around 33 impersonating the Ministry of Commerce, 22 posing as Kuwait Post, 14 falsely claiming to be associated with the Kuwait Stock Exchange, and 3 deceitful websites using names of governmental agencies such as the Ministry of Interior.
These actions taken by CITRA underscore their commitment to maintaining a safe and compliant online environment in Kuwait, safeguarding users from harmful and unlawful online activities.