23rd August 2018
Encompassing both negative and positive aspects, the revolution in media and particularly in social media allowed for several activities that may fall under criminal acts.
The widespread use of smart phones, tablets and easy access to the internet accompanied by the youth's genuine desire for knowledge and their natural inquisitiveness has on many occasions led to their exploitation by organized crime networks. Moreover, many terrorist groups used the internet as means to recruit members, and to put forth their violent extremist ideologies.
In Jordan, the government passed the law for combating Cyber-Crimes in 2015. For this purpose, in 2015, the Public Security Directorate (PSD) established a specialized unit under the name of Cyber-Crime Unit (CCU) with a mandate to address all forms of cybercrimes. In 2018 amendments to include harsher punishments were introduced.
Under the project of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); "Strengthening Criminal Investigation and International Cooperation for Organized Crime cases in Jordan" funded by the government of Japan, UNODC continued to extend its support to law enforcement institutions in prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) and the international cooperation in criminal matters through an integrated set of activities including capacity building trainings, the development of a training guidelines, and introducing international practices in PVE and international cooperation.
Moreover, UNODC assisted the PSD in enhancing the capacities of its personnel and in supporting its preventive and outreach activities to combat crime. Also, UNODC assisted the CCU by producing an awareness raising video on the risks, types and legal consequences of cybercrimes. The video will be mainly utilized by the CCU in its routine activities to raise the awareness among youth in schools and universities.