UAE: Dh500,000 Fine And 6 Months In Jail For Privacy Violations

The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) has issued heavy penalties for revealing secrets and violating the privacy of individuals. Officials said that with the growing social media, the chances of people falling victim to violation of their privacy is high. The Abu Dhabi Centre for Legal and Community Awareness at ADJD has launched ‘Masouliya,’ which means ‘Responsibility, in Arabic to make people aware of their rights and duties when it comes to privacy.

The Department illustrated that Article 44 of Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 regarding combating rumors and electronic crimes specifies a penalty of imprisonment for not less than six months. The Article also stipulates a fine of not less than 150,000 dirhams and not more than 500,000 dirhams, or one of these two penalties, for anyone who uses an information network, an electronic information system, or an information technology to violate people’s privacy.

The penalty comes into effect under five violations, which are:

Recording, broadcasting, or disclosing conversations, communications, or audio-visual materials,
Taking, revealing, or preserving images of others,
Publishing news, electronic or photographic images, scenes, comments, data, or information – even if they are true – to harm a person.
Taking pictures of the injured, dead, or accident victims and publishing them without the consent of the people concerned,
Tracking or monitoring the geographical locations of people, or disclosing, transferring, or keeping them.

Counselor Dr. Muhammad Rashid Al Dhanhani, Director of the Abu Dhabi Centre for Legal and Community Awareness, said that the right to privacy is one of the most significant human rights covered by various agreements, constitutions, and legislation, in a way that ensures the continuation and development of social life.