There has been an interesting development in the activities of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) with the creation of a specialized department to tackle cybercrimes. The department conducts surveillance of cybercrimes pertaining to morality and ideology and tracks down those involved in them. Even though the department was created in early 2013, it has only been in the limelight for a while. It took one full year to complete studies with regard to how the department will function. These studies were conducted under the supervision of academics and researchers from the computer engineering division, who are specialized in the security of information, networks and communication systems, in addition to electronic and legal matters. The Haia also sought the expertise of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in terms of technical, research and scientific consultancy services. The Haia recently unveiled the first sign of the new department's successful functioning. Haia sources told a local Arabic daily about surveillance of the accounts of a total of 735 holders of Internet and social networking sites who are allegedly involved in circulating obscene material. The department located the holders of these accounts and took the necessary measures against them. While reading the report, I was highly impressed by the good conduct of the department officials, who adopted an approach of counseling and guiding before taking any penal action. Hassan Al-Asiri, director of the department, said that initially his unit is interacting with holders of accounts with obscene content by counseling and advising them. As a result, some people close their accounts while others transform them into accounts that are useful to society. If any of them pay no heed to the counseling of the department, the concerned agencies take penal action against them, he added. It is good that the Haia is pursuing this issue in a confidential manner without publicizing or defaming those involved in such crimes. The Haia staff is setting a good example that should be followed by all government departments and agencies. We have never heard of the Haia publicizing the names of those arrested in this regard. The Haia has an important role to play in protecting society from immorality. It shoulders the lofty and noble mission of promoting virtue and preventing vice by embracing the true spirit contained in the following teaching of the Holy Qur'an: “You are indeed the best community that has ever been brought forth for (the good of) mankind: you enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong.”
