Egypt's Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has said it is about to introduce a new internet security bill that would be submitted to the next parliament or the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces for approval. Yasser al-Qady, CEO of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), said the bill would be ready within three months. His statement was made on the sidelines of a meeting by communication minister Maged Othman with a delegation of US internet companies on Wednesday. Qadi said the new bill conforms to international laws, and will have the effect of incorporating Egypt into an international system for internet security. The proposed law aims at protecting children from online abuses, as well as combating extremist, pornographic, and terrorist websites. He added that a draft of the law had been written by the former cabinet, but said that the ITIDA aims to incorporate additional articles. Othman said that telecommunication and internet services would never again be cut, a reference to the cutting of internet and mobile phone services ordered by former government authorities during the 25 January uprising. He said the law was intended, in part, to clarify roles of various parties in the internet system as a whole. Translated from the Arabic Edition
