Chapter Eight Government Use of Electronic Records and Signatures Article (50) The government may use electronic records and signatures to carry out the following tasks: (a) Accept depositing or presenting or originating or maintaining documents. (b) Issue any permission or license or decision or approval. (c) Accept fees or any payments. (d) Issue tenders and receive bids related to government purchases. Article (51) The government may, if so decided to carry out any of the abovementioned tasks electronically, determine: (a) The form and method by which the records are to be originated or deposited or maintained or presented or issued. (b) The form, method, shape and procedure of tendering and receiving bids and procurement of government purchases. (c) The type of electronic signature required including the condition that the originator shall use another protected electronic signature. (d) The form and method by which the electronic signature is to be fixed on the record and the standard to be met by the authentication service provider to whom the records are presented for depositing and maintaining. (e) The appropriate operations and procedures of control required to ensuring safety, security and confidentiality of electronic records, payment of fees. (f) Any other specifications or conditions or other provisions for sending paper based documents if so is required in relation to the electronic records of payment and fees. Chapter Nine Penalties Article (52) Without prejudice to any hard penalty provided for by the Omani Penal Law or any other Law, a person shall be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years and a fine not exceeding RO 5000 (Five thousands Omani Riyals) or both, if he: 1- Causes intentionally unauthorized amendment in the contents of any computer with the intention of weakening its efficacy or preventing or hindering access to any program or data maintained therein or weakening the efficacy of that program or diminishing the reliability of those data if the so called amendment takes place in any of the following ways: (a) Deleting any program or data maintained in the computer. (b) Adding any program or data to the contents of the computer. (c) Any act contributing in effecting that amendment. 2- Penetrates a computer or a series of computers or a web site or an internet site which resulted in: (a) Breaking down the operating systems of the computer or the series of computers. 16