Criminal Protection of Privacy in the Jordanian Cybercrime Law No. 27 of 2015

Abstract

This study deals with the issue of criminal protection of privacy in the Jordanian Cybercrime Law No. 27 of 2015, as the great developments in computer technologies and the widespread use of the Internet have led to the emergence of new forms of electronic crimes related to the protection of the privacy of individuals. The study indicated that the Jordanian legislator did not include in the Jordanian Constitution or in the Cybercrime Law any definition of the right to privacy that delineates its boundaries and clarifies its features. The study concluded that the Cybercrime Law was ambiguous in some of its articles, especially those related to the protection of the right to privacy. The Jordanian legislator did not include special provisions that explicitly criminalize assault on privacy, as it included provisions for other crimes that include assault on this right, which made it lose clarity, precision and accuracy of wording. Moreover, such provisions omitted other forms of electronic crimes related to the right to privacy, which constituted a legislative deficiency. The study concludes that there is a need to amend the Cybercrime Law No. 27 of 2017 and to have explicit provisions that stipulate the criminalization of assault on privacy, as well as the need to issue a special law to protect the personal information of individuals.