More Internet users in Bahrain than UAE, Qatar

Manama: Bahrain has a high percentage of Internet users when compared to other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, according to data published by Internet World Stats.

According to the data, Internet penetration in Bahrain has reached 96.4 per cent while it is 93.2pc in the UAE, 91.9pc in Qatar, 78.6pc in Oman, 78.7pc in Kuwait and 65.9pc in Saudi Arabia.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) in the Kingdom of Bahrain recently finalised the “National Internet Safety Review” study, which shed light on various areas of online behaviour in the Kingdom.

TRA commissioned UK-based independent researchers Professor Julia Davidson and Professor Elena Martellozzo to conduct the study. They compared the results to an earlier study held in 2010.

“Compared to our findings in 2010, it’s a relief to see that the levels of awareness to online risks have increased. It is, however, concerning to see that cyberbullying has accumulated a high percentage. This is something that will require greater collaboration between both government and private sectors to address as we all have a stake in this matter,” said Dr Khalid bin Duaij Al Khalifa, TRA’s Director of Cyber Security.