AMMAN — Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh on Thursday said that the government does not consider the cybercrime bill a detractor from essential freedoms, and subsequently does not consider the bill unconstitutional.

The government is "completely open to any criticism”, the prime minister added.

During a legislative session at the Lower House to discuss the bill, Khasawneh noted that “the new law regulates and defines penalties in cyberspace, and the government has not offered anything contradictory to the Constitution," Al Mamlaka TV reported.

The prime minister shed light on three "pivotal issues”, the first of which is linked to the freedoms outlined in the Constitution. The government does not believe this bill affects or detracts from these rights at all, Khasawneh reiterated.

The second is related to the Constitutional notion that all Jordanians are equally entitled to the rights and freedoms outlined in the Constitution, and the third involves the protection of said rights and freedoms.

The government has not produced any legislation that may be deemed unconstitutional, the prime minister affirmed, noting that the Jordanian Constitution “is clear, balanced and we are always proud of it".

"When the percentage of cybercrimes complaints becomes six times higher in a single year, reconsideration is a must,” he added.

The cybercrimes bill has 40 articles, most of which pertain to digital protections and the protection of institutions’ online domains, with a particular focus on protecting against electronic piracy targeting existing databases, infrastructure or financial transactions, the prime minister said.

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