RiyadhCiti.com - Lifestyle Magazine

No smoking, no partitions between computers, ample lighting, midnight closing and prohibiting minors are five rules that Riyadh officials say they will begin enforcing on Internet cafes within a week, officials announced on Sunday.

The crackdown on Internet cafes comes by order of Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs Prince Mansour bin Miteb, who has shown special interest in the way these businesses are run.

“We have asked cafe owners that there should not be partitions between the computers that can lead users to be more secretive in using his computer,” said Buthi.

He also said the lighting in these establishments should be for the entire room rather than smaller lights over each workstation. “The whole cafe should be an open area where computer users are able to see one another,” he said.

The mandatory midnight closure of these businesses is aimed at avoiding customers from spending nights in these establishments.

“The place should not be used as bedrooms at night,” he said.

Internet cafes are also not allowed to serve minors, defined as children under the age of 18, but inspectors say they regularly observe schoolchildren using these places to access the Internet.

“We have also found most of the (foreign) workers in the cafes do not have valid iqamas and some of them are working on a part-time basis,” he noted, pointing out that all workers should be registered under the sponsor of the cafes so that they could be held liable for their violations.

In addition to labor violations, Buthi said cafes are serving food without proper permits. “We have to ensure that such foods are prepared and served under hygienic conditions,” he added. (via arabnews.com)