President of Uzbekistan signed decree enhancing counter-cybercrime measures on April 30, the press service of the Ministry of Justice said.

The Interior Ministry has been appointed as the authority in the field of countering cyber threats. Prosecutorial supervision over compliance with regulations in this process will be introduced In order to increase the detection rate of cybercrimes.

According to the Decree, the use of IT in committing crimes will now be considered an aggravating circumstance.

In addition, administrative and criminal liability measures are being introduced for persons who have allowed their bank cards, accounts, electronic wallets or personal data (SIM cards, electronic accounts) to be used to commit cybercrimes.

The Central Bank will implement a system for identifying signs of fraudulent schemes such as a “financial pyramid,” said Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank Sodir Melibayev told the Uzbekistan 24 channel. — An e-platform for data exchange between the Interior Ministry, the Prosecutor General's Office and the Central Bank will be launched. The process of collecting information constituting a banking secret will be fully automated. The prosecutor's sanctions will be received electronically. In addition, work is planned to improve financial literacy through the media and online communities."

Furthermore, the Central Bank will complete the integration of data from all banks and credit bureaus into a single platform by September 1, 2025, and implement a centralized anti-fraud system.

The document also stipulates that the Ministry of Digital Technologies will implement systems to limit false calls by the end of the year. The Decree provides for the prompt blocking of bank cards involved in dubious money transfers.

A list of banks and payment systems that have committed cybercrimes due to vulnerabilities in their information systems will be published monthly. If these crimes occur due to banks or payment operators failing to comply with information and cybersecurity requirements, they will be obliged to compensate users for damages.

A law on combating crimes committed using information technology will be developed and adopted in the near future, Ilkhom Abdullaev, Chairman of the Committee of the Legislative Chamber told Uzbekistan 24. He emphasized that there were developments for this within the framework of by-laws, and international experience has been taken into account and an analysis of national characteristics has been conducted.