With the growth and advancement of the internet, it has become prone to rampant misuse. On daily basis, we come across incidents of cyberbullying, hacking, fraud, defamation, etc. This is a serious and alarming trend being observed in almost all corners of the world and the UAE is no exception to it. Even, we can be the next target!!
In this short piece, we are going to discuss the offense of cyberbullying in UAE and the punishment associated thereto with the help of our best criminal lawyers of Dubai.
What is cyberbullying?
Before moving ahead, it is very important to understand the meaning of cyberbullying. In the words of our top criminal lawyers of UAE, cyberbullying is the practice of harassing or threatening others by sending or sharing harmful, fake, or negative information on the internet. The information can be in the form of a document, image, video, audio-visual, etc. It is a serious threat in today’s digital world.
What does the law say?
Our best cyber lawyers of Dubai have pointed out that UAE has recently issued a new law to combat all sorts of cybercrime in the country, which is known as Federal Decree Law No. (34) of 2021 (UAE Cyber Crime law). With the promulgation of this new law, the previous law stands completely repealed. The new law has detailed and comprehensive provisions to deal with the offense of cyberbullying. Talking about punishment, our best lawyers have suggested that it depends upon the form of cyberbullying. Some of the popular forms of cyberbullying are as follows-
- Insult
Nowadays, humiliating or insulting someone on social media is quite common. The punishment for insulting someone by using fake or negative information is subject to punishment as prescribed under Article 43 of the law, which includes imprisonment and a fine ranging between AED 250,000 and AED 500,000. - Defamation
Article 44 of the law provides that if a person uses electronic technology to defame or abuse a person, he shall be subject to a minimum term of imprisonment of 1 year and a fine between AED 250,000 and AED 500,000. - Extortion
The term ‘extortion’ refers to the practice of inducing or threatening someone to do or abstain from doing any act. If this offense is committed through the internet medium, the offender will be subject to imprisonment of up to 2 years and a fine ranging between AED 250,000 and AED 500,000. The punishment and fines are prescribed under Article 42 of the new law.Further, our best criminal lawyers in Dubai have suggested that the punishment can be extended up to 10 years if the extortion results in causing grievous hurt to any other person. - Taking or disseminating images without consent
It is strongly pointed out by our top criminal lawyers of UAE that taking pictures without consent and their unauthorized circulation is a serious offense provided under Article 34 of the new Cybercrime Law. The offense of displaying pornography and circulating obscene material is also punishable under this Article. The offenses enumerated under Article 34 are punishable with imprisonment and a fine ranging between AED 250,000 and AED 500,000. It is pertinent to note that child pornography entails strict punishment and a fine of up to AED 1,000,000.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it is evident that cyberbullying is a serious offense punishable with imprisonment and hefty fines. As a word of caution, our best cyber lawyers of Dubai have suggested that you shouldn’t share your personal credentials on the internet and change your passwords and other relevant information frequently.
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