Dubai has a strict set of laws to ensure that all information being shared on the web is in check.
It has a team of cyber security experts within the Dubai police that constantly monitor everything being shared online.
A few things that are a big NO in the Dubai Internet Laws book include:
- Pornography: You will face jail time of one year if you are found watching or sharing a porn clip. If someone complains about you to the Dubai police, it takes only a few minutes to track your whereabouts.
- Harassment: Dubai police takes strict actions against cyber harassment whether conducted by boy or a girl. If you or someone is involved in cyber harassment case, they should immediately collect all the evidence including cell numbers, account details, screenshots of texts or pictures, and send them to the Dubai police with complete story. They act on these. But you need to have valid evidence otherwise the complain can go against you.
- Cyber Bullying: If you post something in a group and the other person starts abusing you, that’s a crime. Cyber bullying is part of harassment and there are special volunteer groups by Dubai government that look after cyber bullies. If you are not able to find any such groups you can directly contact Dubai police.
- Nothing Against Government: If you have a grudge against government and you post it on the internet without evidence, then Dubai police has the right to put you in jail. If you have a complain against the Dubai government, then there are special departments specifically set up to register your complaint. However, if they fail to do so and you have no other option available then you can use the internet to tell about your whole story. However, it is better that you are legally prepared for all this. So get a lawyer first and then ask him what the right steps to go about it are. You should understand that Dubai is a conservative system. It is not a democracy and the country is still ruled by monarchs. Going against the government means you are going against the king of United Arab Emirates.
- Using a VPN: There are no strict rules on using a VPN in Dubai. However, if you are using a VPN to watch illegal material such as pornography or gain access to websites that belong to government or that are built for the purpose of selling illegal drugs then that’s wrong. Again you can face jail time for using a VPN service for all such activities. By default Dubai has banned access to pornography, drug websites, and the dark web.
- Trading in Bitcoins: Dubai doesn’t forbid people from keeping bitcoins. However, trading in Bitcoins is not allowed in the country. If you have an international account such as Payoneer or PayPal you can trade in bitcoins.
- Defamation: You can’t defame anyone else on the internet without proof. If someone has blackmailed you or something else, you still can’t defame them without having proper evidence. Otherwise they can use the same information against you and file a case in the court. Dubai court always favors the person who lodged the case.
- Selling Medicine Online: According to the Dubai Internet Laws, you can’t sell medicine online if you don’t have a pharmacy license. Unlike other countries where medicine can be sold easily, Dubai is very strict in this matter. If you don’t have a proper medicinal license available you can’t sell drugs, not even OTC medicines.
- Online Fraud: Dubai has set up a cyber fraud unit that is active 24/7. If you are working for a client who resides in the UAE and he doesn’t pay you for your services, you can complain to the Dubai police for online fraud. But if the client is not a resident of UAE and is not in the country, they can’t do anything about it.
We hope that you are now clear about various internet laws in Dubai and how they can help you stay secure on the internet.
