Digital Rights Project at SAM issued a report on the reality of online extortion in Yemen and ways to address it, as part of the project implemented by the organization with the support of Internews.
The report, entitled "Online Extortion in Yemen: Phenomenon and Solution", indicated that a number of individual, social, and legal factors, in addition to the absence of digital awareness, led to the spread of the phenomenon of online extortion, and compounded its repercussions.
Specialists in digital security quoted some of the methods and ways through which girls fall into the trap of electronic blackmail, including women losing their personal phones in public places, which sometimes reach the hands of blackmailers, and stealing personal photos of women from weddings through female soldiers for this act, in addition to direct hacking of the phones and computers of Yemeni Internet users, who do not have sufficient digital awareness to avoid the tricks of blackmail networks.
The report issued by the Digital Rights Project pointed out that the consequences of electronic blackmail and defamation do not stop at the victim's feeling of anxiety, depression and psychological pressure, but go beyond that to resort to suicide, and may push the victim's families to get rid of her by killing her, based on societal accounts and unjustified accusations, citing a statement made by activist Mukhtar Abdel Moez to the Digital Rights Project, where he pointed out that during November, four cases (suicide and attempted suicide), as a result of extortion, were recorded in two governorates.
The authors of the report believe that these incidents are only examples and samples of thousands of similar stories and terrible tragedies to which victims of electronic extortion are exposed, in a society that places the weight of accusation and the burden of sin on its shoulders, even if all the evidence and evidence prove its innocence.
The report (Online Extortion) stated that Yemen's lack of a law on combating cybercrime has put law enforcement authorities in front of a challenge when dealing with cases of electronic extortion, and therefore the legislator was forced to adapt the provisions of the (general) Penal Code and drop it on this type of case, with its shortcomings and lack of keeping pace with developments, not to mention that the current legal texts do not approve deterrent penalties against the offender.
The report considered that the governmental/institutional role in combating electronic extortion is absent and at best ineffective, which prompted activists in digital security to fill the vacuum and play a significant and positive role in addressing this phenomenon.
The Digital Rights Team stressed a set of solutions that help reduce extortion and prevent its consequences, starting with following digital security measures, such as activating two-factor authentication for all programs and applications, setting a difficult password and fingerprint, avoiding activating synchronization between email, applications and photos, in addition to not opening suspicious and anonymous links, and avoiding being dragged into closed rooms, video chats and sending images under any circumstances.
The report focused on issuing the "Cybercrime Law", along with qualifying investigators and judges and training them on how to deal with cybercrimes. This is accompanied by awareness that stopping danger and addressing violations is within the limits of the law. It also noted the need to “make police stations, prosecution offices and courts safe places for the presence of women to facilitate reporting of crimes against them, and to establish special units for women,
The report stressed "the importance of promoting the media to raise these files and warn of their dangers, and to develop programs to educate women about the danger of electronic extortion and how to avoid falling into its trap, in addition to educating society about the dangers of silence on these crimes, and urging them to report them to facilitate early control and avoid their catastrophic consequences.
It called for strict control over phone sales and repair centers to prevent extortion and its causes, facilitate the procedures for reporting and dealing with these crimes (reports) seriously, and move quickly to arrest the perpetrators as soon as reliable reports are received.
The report concluded by saying: Changing the awareness of individuals is the first step to change their reality, and based on this postulate, the bet falls on the media, civil society institutions, activists and influencers, to assume this responsibility, and to address the phenomenon of electronic blackmail, which requires networking and coordination, at the local and international levels, in order to double the effectiveness and efficiency of the efforts made.
It is noteworthy that the report (Online Extortion in Yemen.. The Phenomenon and the Solution) is the seventh within the digital rights project, implemented by SAM with the support of Internews, with the aim of advocating for the issues of digital rights of Yemenis, leading to a free and safe digital space.