Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Yasser al-Qadi said on Monday that Egypt is taking concrete steps towards establishing a social networking platform similar to Facebook, without however providing any further details regarding the project.
He explained that the period after the January 25 revolution in 2011, but more so recently, has witnessed a great deal of interaction between citizens through social media.
He pointed out that the protection of data and information is very important and that the Egyptian state is keen on safeguarding the personal privacy of its citizens.
He added that Egypt has a comprehensive strategy for the development and dissemination of new ideas and the modernization of the country’s information and technological infrastructure. The state is also developing its tools to combat terrorism, including improved legal frameworks that contribute to the protection of citizens and society as a whole.
“The Egyptian state has a clear strategy in the fight against extremism through thoughts,” Qadi said, stressing that the government plays an important role in this regard via various institutions, especially in the field of educating the society about the dangers of terrorism-inspired ideas.
Ha added that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has issued directives to increase the volume of Egyptian information technology exports to reach between US$10-15 billion over the next two years. Qadi said that the volume of these exports during the past two years amounted to US$3.6 billion.
He added that the locally produced and currently available mobile phone SICO will not be the last of its kind, stressing that he expects that no less than seven new mobile devices will be manufactured in Egypt during the coming period.
Qadi further maintained that Egypt also is planning to manufacture “tablets” as well as to open three factories for the production of optical fiber, a basic component of the IT industry.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
