Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — The General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection (GAMEP) has threatened to sue amateur weather forecasters for sowing panic among the public by giving false weather reports, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The authority said it was no longer able to bear the excessiveness of the amateurs on social media who disseminate incorrect data about weather conditions.

The director of the authority’s department of legal affairs and international cooperation, Faisal Al-Sawwat, threatened to take those who issue incorrect weather reports to the Public Prosecution prior to sending them to courts.

“We have already started cooperation with the National Cyber Security Authority to monitor the amateur forecasters who have accounts on social media on grounds that they are terrorizing the population and undermining peace in the community,” he said.

A number of the forecasters rejected this move and said the authority itself makes mistakes about weather forecasts.

Somayya Al-Hindi, a female lawyer, said spreading rumors about adverse weather conditions through social media is tantamount to information crime that should be punished by the law.

“People who circulate incorrect data about weather without any authority to do so are violating the rules and regulations of the GAMEP,” she said.

Al-Hindi said these people are publishing incorrect data, which are not credible, and asked the citizens never to bank on such reports.

Al-Hindi asked the public to only trust the official weather bulletins published by the authority.

“Circulating rumors on social media is a crime which should be punished under the law,” she said asking the authority to follow up these people so as to take them to justice.

Al-Hindi said false weather reports may result in panicking and confusing people and as such could be dangerous.

She also asked the Public Prosecution to seek the assistance of experienced IT experts to identify the accounts of people who spread false weather reports.

Ziyad Al-Johani, a climatologist, considered amateur weather forecasters to be liars even if their forecasts turned out to be true. “They should be punished by imprisonment and fines,” he added.

The amateurs on their part lashed out at the authority accusing it of being hostile to them.

They said the authority has coded all its radars within its war against them.