By NUR HAZIQAH A MALEK

Salam Web Technologies MY Sdn Bhd has allocated an investment of RM61.72 million for the continuous development of the world’s first Shariah-compliant Internet suite for the next two years.

Salam Web Technologies MD Hasni Zarina Mohamed Khan (picture) said there is a lot of capital required in initiating a complete Internet suite — from the idea stage, to translating Islamic principles into technology.

“SalamWeb is a continuous development that we need to take time with, following the launch today. So, we are looking at an investment of about US$15 million (RM61.72 million) within the next two years.

“There is a lot to channel into, such as human resource, technology and content.

“Because SalamWeb is the first of its kind, we did not have a guideline to work around with,” she said at the SalamWeb browser launch in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

SalamWeb is endorsed by the Amanie Shariah Supervisory Board, in conformity with Malaysia Digital Economy Corp’s Islamic Digital Economy Mi’yar.

It is an Islamic-based Internet suite of services comprising the SalamWeb Browser, SalamNews, SalamChat and SalamSadaqah.

Contents and a custom news feed have been aggregated from verified news sources, and the browser filters away content that is generally seen as inappropriate, potentially explicit, offensive or fraudulent.

Hasni Zarina said one target that’s in the company’s pipeline is to increase its users in Islamic countries.

“Although for the most part, SalamWeb is a local product, the Internet is borderless.

“As of now, we already have some customers downloading this suite overseas, and it is already in multiple languages such as Urdu, Arabic and Bahasa Indonesia to cater to Muslim- populated countries,” she said.

According to W3Counter, in May 2018, 56.6% of the overall browser usage was via Google Chrome, followed by Safari at 14.7%.

She said SalamWeb’s edge is that it allows users to personalise their own browsing, as well as contribute to others via every search they make.

“To encourage the community to be a part of the experience, each web search or content report made by users will be matched to a donation, and they can tag websites that they prefer to view,” Hasni Zarina said.

She added that the browser will not block content, instead focusing on productivity and ethical browsing — thus also being family-friendly for even users outside the Muslim community.

“Users have the choice to browse content that matters the most to them, and have an online experience that is customised for their way of life.

“We work with both local and global partners to ensure our products are in line with Islamic values. No other web browser has the religion factor in its design,” she said.

Salam Web Technologies is owned by Dubai-based limited company Salam Web Technologies DMCC.

It was also reported recently that Salam Web Technologies has signed a partnership for a three-year programme with Universiti Teknologi Mara that would focus on ethical Internet usage between the academia and industry, as well as bolster the Islamic digital economy’s development.