Communications and Information Technology Commission (Saudi Arabia)

The Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) (Arabic: هيئة الاتصالات وتقنية المعلومات‎, Hai'at al-Ittisalat wa Tiqniyyat al-Ma`lumat) is the Saudi communications authority. It was first established under the name of Saudi Communications Commission in accordance with the decision of the Council of Ministers. The name was changed after the Commission was assigned new tasks related to information technology. Since October 2006, CITC has been handling the DNS structure and filtering in Saudi Arabia in the place of KACST (King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology).[1]

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Communications and Information Technology Commission
(CITC)
هيئة الاتصالات وتقنية المعلومات
Agency overview
HeadquartersRiyadh
Agency executive
  • DAbdulaziz Bin Salem Al Ruwais, Governor
Websitewww.citc.gov.sa

ICT Sector

CITC is responsible for regulating the ICT sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Telecommunications Act, issued by Royal Decree in 2001, provide the legal framework for organizing this sector. This Act involves a number of objectives such as: Providing advanced and adequate telecommunication services with affordable prices, creating an appropriate atmosphere to encourage fair competition, using frequencies effectively, localization of telecommunication technology and managing recent advancements, clarity and transparency in procedures, equality and neutrality, protection of the public interest as well as the interest of users and investors.

Postal Services

Since the end of 2019, CITC became responsible for regulating the postal sector in Saudi Arabia. This involved studying the current market, improving regulatory environment and supporting service providers to enhance the quality of their services.

Censorship
Main article: Censorship in Saudi Arabia

The Communications and Information Technology Commission is responsible for regulating the Internet and for hosting a firewall which blocks access to thousands of websites, mainly due to sexual and political content. Access to Megaupload has been intermittently blocked by the Internet authorities in Saudi Arabia.

References
  1. "Communication and Information Technology Commission, Saudi Arabia, Annual Report 2005" (PDF) (Press release). Communication and Information Technology Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
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