The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority rolled out its first National Cybersecurity Strategy on Monday to create a legal framework that safeguards emerging technologies and the nation’s critical infrastructure, as the government boosts cybersecurity investments across the Emirates.
“We will identify all existing cybersecurity laws and also draft new regulations required to cope with emerging cybercrimes,” said Mohammad Al Zarooni, the TRA’s director of policies and programmes.
“A couple of potential areas that draw our immediate attention include data security and online chat protection.”
The new strategy includes 60 initiatives that will be executed across different sectors over the next three years, and then further evaluated.
More than 3.7 million individuals in the UAE were affected by cybercrime in 2017, totalling a financial loss of close to Dh3.86 billion, according to a security insights report by cybersecurity specialist Norton. Total time per consumer lost to cybercrime was almost two days, it said.
According to the TRA, besides providing a resilient cyber infrastructure, the strategy will create new opportunities in the cybersecurity sector that is currently worth Dh1.8bn in the UAE - almost 10 per cent of the entire Middle East and North Africa market.
The TRA is also drafting regulations to ensure the safety of emerging technologies - including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, digital signatures and blockchain.
“Once ready, regulations [for emerging technologies] will be rolled out in phases, depending on the urgency and market requirements. We will ensure a balance to have a smooth nationwide implementation,” said Mr Zarooni.
The TRA, which regulates the UAE’s telecom sector and enables government entities in the field of "smart" transformation, has developed its strategy after consulting more than 50 relevant global publications and studying other countries' cutting-edge national programmes to incorporate best global practice in the UAE.
The regulator has identified nine different sectors, including energy, telecoms, transportation, health and utilities, as “critical” and dedicated programmes will come up for their security. Critical infrastructure constitutes assets that are essential for the well-being of any nation’s economy and security.
“Critical infrastructure is our priority … even an outage of only couple of hours will impact thousands of people in one go,” said Mr Zarooni, adding, “There will be a unified mechanism to report and respond to minimise damage in case of any breach.”
As part of the strategy, the TRA will work on developing capabilities of more than 40,000 cybersecurity professionals through further training and opening new job avenues in the field of cybersecurity.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
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Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
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The specs
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Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
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Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
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- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
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- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
The specs
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
Kill%20
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Name: Yousef Al Bahar
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Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
