Qatar- Mideast people concerned over online monitoring by private firms

3/21/2016 9:52:48 PM

(MENAFN- The Peninsula)

DOHA: People in the Middle East are more concerned about online monitoring by private companies than they are about online monitoring by governments the annual research survey on usage and attitudes toward media in six Arab countries by Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) has found.

The survey revealed that majorities of social media users in the Middle East with the exception of Qatar are increasingly concerned about social media.

The survey “Media Use in the Middle East” documents trends in Qatar Saudi Arabia the UAE Egypt Lebanon and Tunisia and was done in partnership with the Doha Film Institute. The university has released the survey annually since 2013.

The survey found that with the exception of Tunisia the majority of nationals in all countries feel the Internet should be more tightly regulated in their country. Internet users in most countries are more concerned about online surveillance by companies than by governments.

The study gets funding from the Qatar National Research Fund and the Doha Film Institute. Everette E Dennis Dean and CEO NU-Q discussed the findings on attitudes related to online privacy concerns in the region. Speaking at a panel discussion at the International Press Institute’s (IPI) World Congress Dennis previewed early findings from the study which relate to the use of social media. The full report will be released next month.

“The media use study” Dennis said “is a systematic means of understanding the region beyond news headlines and subjective commentary. The knowledge of how people use media—and what they think about them—offers insights about the social and political climate as well as vital societal issues like freedom of expression. This survey coupled with the media industry report released last month continues Northwestern University in Qatar’s research expertise in the fields of media and communication.”

The media use survey is the largest annual study of its kind in the region and was conducted in collaboration with Harris Poll. Fieldwork took place from December 20 2015 to February 27 2016 and involved 6058 interviews including 4529 nationals which constitutes a nationally representative sample of adults aged 18 or over in each country.The Peninsula

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