Presentation given at QITCOM 2014 on 26 May. The Rassed team at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology published the results to their most recent study into the attitudes of Internet users towards cybersafety issues. The study looks at 5 key areas: 1. Access to technology 2. Attitudes towards the Internet 3. Levels of concern towards safety and online privacy 4. Trust in various online actors 5. Online behaviors The study was conducted as part of the Global Internet Values Project, and thus benchmarks the Middle East results across regional and global data. The Middle East sample contained 2793 respondents from 14 different countries in the region. For the full report, please visit: www.ictqatar.qa/en/rassed

1. The attitudes of Internet users in the MENA region to
Cybersafety, Online Security and Data Privacy

2. Introducing…

3. About Rassed
The Digital Society division at the Ministry of Information and
Communication Technology (ictQATAR) established “Rassed” to:
1. Study the impact of the Internet and Information
Communication Technologies (ICT) on society; and
2. Explore the potential of emerging digital technologies.
Find out more about our work at: www.ictqatar.qa/en/rassed

4. Examples of our work
• Quarterly Market Intelligence reports; “Digital Digest” and
monthly Tech “Top Tens” = 140,000+ views since June 2012.
• Our channel is in the Top 1% most viewed on SlideShare.
• Visit http://www.slideshare.net/ictQATAR/

5. Where our work has featured

6. What are users doing online?
What are their Needs?
Attitudes and Behaviors?
And use this to shape policy and practice.
Why this matters
Need to understand:

7. The ICT Landscape
7+ billion citizens
2.5 billion online
(35%)
1.8 billion are on
social media
(26%)
Source: We Are Social
Global MENA
279 million citizens
102 million online
(37%)
66 million are on
social media
(24%)

8. The attitudes of Internet users in the MENA region to
Cybersafety, Online Security and Data Privacy

9. PURPOSE AND METHODOLOGY

10. Purpose of this Study
This report looks at the attitudes of online users in the MENA
region towards cybersafety, security and data privacy.
The study is in line with our mandate to conduct studies and
research on the impact of ICT on Society, so that stakeholders
can understand the societal context in which they are operating.
Aims to inform policy and practice - internally and externally.

11. Areas of study
1. Usage of ICT and the Internet in the region
2. Attitudes towards the Internet
3. Concerns about safety in cyberspace
4. Trust in different online actors
5. Behaviors online

12. Methodology
• Online survey of existing Internet users.
• ictQATAR worked with the Oxford Internet Institute in
collaboration with Cornell University.
• Fieldwork by comScore and Toluna.

13. Countries covered
Algeria
Egypt
Tunisia
Morocco
Iraq Jordan
Yemen
Iran
Saudi Arabia
Oman
Qatar
Kuwait
Bahrain
UAE
MENA sample = 2,793
* Results from 14 countries

14. Research sample
• Global sample = 8,442
* Results from 44 countries
• Total Sample = 11,225
* Covers 58 countries

15. 5 KEY DIFFERENCES
MENA VS GLOBAL

16. 1. MENA users are less likely to shop or bank online.
2. Higher perception in MENA that “the Internet is making
things better for people like me.” (49% vs. 39%)
3. Higher desire for Government role re harmful content.
4. Less worried about safety of personal online content.
5. Strongly against data repurposing.
MENA VS Global

17. 3 KEY DIFFERENCES
GCC VS NORTH AFRICA

18. 1. GCC: more likely to access the Internet on the move.
2. GCC: greater access to technologies like tablets (70%
vs. 33%) and gaming machines (62% vs. 36%).
3. North Africa: stronger sense that personal data
put online is kept safe (22% vs. 15%).
GCC VS North Africa

19. 1. TECHNOLOGY AND THE INTERNET

20. MENA households full of technology

21. VoIP is highly prevalent
The region has some of the highest take-up of video and voice
calls over the Internet.

22. 2. ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE INTERNET

23. Generally, attitudes were…
• Positive: Belief that the Internet brings benefits to people.
• Safeness: Divided views on how safe the Internet is.
• Government: Higher demand for Government to regulate,
censor and protect Internet users from harmful content.

24. Higher belief in MENA that the
Internet is “making things better”

25. Harmful content: Protecting Children

26. “Discriminatory” or “Racist” content

27. 3. LEVELS OF CONCERN

28. Areas of concern
High concerns about:
• Being Hacked
• Misled by false information
• Reputation damage
Lower concerns about:
• Being monitored online
• Data collection

29. Concerns around data repurposing

30. 4. TRUST IN ONLINE PLAYERS

31. Trust in Different Online Players
Higher trust in…
Entities that are “offline first”
• Mobile and telephone providers
• Government authorities
• Banks and financial institutions
• Health and medical providers
Lower trust in…
Entities that are “online first”
• Social networking websites
• Online search engines
• Online websites and newspapers
• Online marketers and advertisers

32. Trust Index

33. 5. BEHAVIOR

34. Inconsistency in claimed
behaviors and actions
Behaviors and Attitudes are not always aligned.
Examples of potentially reckless behavior in MENA:
• More likely: to open attachments from people they don’t know.
• Less likely: to scan their computers/devices for viruses.
• More likely: to “Friend” people they don’t know .
SAY
they are safety-conscious
ACT
safety-conscious

35. Takeaways

36. 5 top-level MENA findings
1. Broad equivalency - access to technology compared to global averages.
2. MENA Internet users more likely to agree that “the Internet is making
things better for people like me” compared to the world average.
3. They are also more supportive of the idea that Government
authorities should block harmful content than users elsewhere.
4. Amongst different online players; banks and financial institutions in
the region enjoy the highest levels of trust.
5. MENA Internet users are among the most likely to open attachments,
documents and emails from senders they do not know.

37. What does this mean for you?
1. Need to understand users desire for Government role in
managing harmful content.
2. Multi-stakeholder approach to encouraging safer
online behavior – building on high trust levels.
3. Educate and empower users regarding data
management, collection / repurposing.

38. QUESTIONS?
Thank you for listening
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Email: rassed@ict.gov.qa