UAE: $68,000 fine for swearing in WhatsApp

Whatsapp

Are you always polite with your co-workers? If so you can be relaxed – this story cannot affect you. Rude words are present sometimes if your life? Be careful, especially if you are in the UAE.
One person who lives in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could be fined $68,000 (£42,769) after he swore at his colleague on WhatsApp.

New federal cyber crime law implemented in the country recently says that people charged with online offences could be fined up to £42,769 or jailed. Tourists and foreigners living in UAE are not exceptions: they could be also deported in addition to being fined.

The Federal Supreme Court (FSC) overturned two lower court sentences which fined the man – whose identity has not been disclosed – AED3,000 (£514) after charging him with cybercrimes.

“FSC supported the prosecutor’s appeal and affirmed the need for enforcement of the law governing information technology crimes involving a AED250,000 fine and deportation from the country,” the court said.

According to court documents, the defendant was tried after a colleague complained to police that he had sworn in a message using “insulting” words and allegedly threatened him.

It is not clear what the exact message sent on WhatsApp was. However, the defendant has denied the charges.
Pate allegedly called his employer “backstabbers” and discouraged people from working for the organization. He faces up to five years in jail and a fine if found guilty.

Legacy of Pornography in the World 2015

pornography in the world

The map shows legacy of pornography in the world.

Green – Pornography legal
Yellow – Pornography legal under some restrictions.
Red – Pornography illegal
Gray – Data unavailable

Pornography is illegal in the following countries:

  • Saudi Arabia
  • UAE
  • Oman
  • Kuwait
  • Pakistan
  • Aghanistan
  • Iran
  • Kuwait
  • Jordan
  • Israel
  • Egypt
  • Libya
  • Algeria
  • Mali
  • Nigeria
  • Yemen
  • China

Pornography in Saudi Arabia

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the Islamic state. It bans all forms of pornography due to Islam’s opposition to pornography. There is Cyber Crime Law In 2000 Saudi authorities said that they were “winning the war against pornography on the internet”. If you caught on some porn website, police can deport you from the contry.
Be careful what you send on your phone or computer in Saudi Arabia.

Pornography in UAE

Cyber Crime law is very strict in United Arab Emirates and th epunishment for porno is aslo very serious.

Pornography in Iran

In Iran, the possession of any type of pornography is illegal and is charged with a fine.
Iran confirms death sentence for ‘porn site’ web programmer

Pornography in China


Possession of pornography is punishable by up to 3 years in prison, a fine of Y20,000, or up to life imprisonment for large underground distributors. In 2010 China shut down 60,000 porn sites according to Reuters, arresting almost 5,000 suspects in the process.

From: http://sahrzad.net/blog/pornography-legacy-in-the-world/

How to Access Blocked sites in UAE in Android?

android vpn

Internet filtering in UAE is a serious problem for many people living and visiting this wonderful country. A great number of websites are blocked by the government due to some reasons.

You cannot surf gambling or adult sites while you are in the United Arab Emirates. Any web resources which criticize politics or religion are strictly prohibited. You can find out long lists of sites banned in UAE.

Are there any solutions to avoid these filters?

Sure there are!

And there are many ways to open blocked sites in the Middle East. But today I want to point only the most reliable and safe solution for surfing blocked sites and this is VPN solution.

Via secured encrypted tunnel (which VPN is) you can open any site you need safe and easy. At the same time you can be sure that nobody can monitor what kind of sites you are visiting.

All the traffic is coded inside Virtual Private Network (VPN) so your anonymity is guaranteed while you are using VPN.

Today you can access blocked content even from your Android device. There are many vpn applications available on play market but we strongly recommend you to be careful installing such programs to your device. Of course, most of them will provide you a secure vpn service but also such applications can harm your device or your private info. Do you know for sure what this application do with your data? Especially if this is free vpn application?

The best way to be safe and secure is to setup vpn connection on your device using standard options. VPN is a system feature in any Android gadget so actually you do not need any application to use VPN in UAE.

Follow this simple guide and setup vpn in Android in a few moments!

How to setup VPN in Android

To create new vpn tunnel
1. Click Settings icon

2. Select Wireless & Networks and tap on VPN

3. Tap Add VPN Network

4. Input connection name (Sahrzad VPN), select the type of your VPN connection – PPTP VPN, input VPN server address from your account data.
Please be carefully – don’t use any additional symbols like spaces, http://, www, / …etc in the server address.

5. Input your Username and password that you received from VPN account service in e-mail.
Save it and tap Connect
For connection to vpn server:
Select Home > Menu > Settings
Tap Wireless & networks
Tap VPN settings
The VPN connections you have added are present in the list
Tap the VPN you wish to connect to (Sahrzad VPN)
A dialog box will open asking for your credentials, enter them and click connect
When you are connected to VPN, you will see an ongoing notification in the Status bar on your Android device. If you are disconnected, you will receive a notification and an option to go back to the VPN settings section.

After creating your vpn connection you can switch it on and off on the main settings screen.

See detailed guide here.

UAE Cyber Crime Laws – All you need to know

UAE cyber crime laws
UAE cyber crime laws

Federal Legal Decree No. 5 for 2012 on combating cyber crimes has been issued by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan several years ago but many people still have lots of questions regarding it.

Let’s clarify the main points of this law.

The decree protects privacy of information from any use whatsoever by electronic or IT means to forge or produce duplicates of credit cards or civil cards.

The new decree stipulates punishments on any individual for using any kind of information technology to extort or to threaten others online to force them to engage in, or, for that matter to prevent them from engaging in, a certain act.

Indecent acts

The decree criminalises activities by any person who creates or runs any electronic site to send, transmit, publish or promote online any pornographic material, gambling activities and any other indecent acts.

It also imposes punishment on any person for attempting to, and for helping others to, seduce others and solicit prostitution and to urge, induce or entice another person to engage in an act of prostitution.

It also criminalises acts by any one to insult others or to accuse others of acts which would lead to punishment or contempt by a third party, online or through any other information technology means.

Copyright issues

Federal Legal Decree No. 5/2012 also imposes punishment for anyone for using an electronic network or any information technology means for the unwarranted violation of the privacy of others by eavesdropping, intercepting, recording or disclosing conversations, communications, audio and video material; taking photographs of others, creating electronic photos of others, disclosing, copying or saving them; publishing news, electronic photographs or photographs or scenes, comments, data and information even if they are authentic.

The decree stipulates punishment for any person creating or running an electronic site to publish information online or through any information technology means with the intention to engage in trafficking in persons or the illegal trade of human organs.

It also stipulates punishments for any person creating or running an electronic site to publish, online or through any information technology means, any programmes or ideas which would promote disorder, hate, racism or sectarianism and damage national unity or social peace or damage public order and pubic decency.

The decree also stipulates punishments any person for creating or running an electronic site to publish information online or through any information technology means with the intention to engage in unauthorized trade in firearms, ammunition or explosives.

Terrorist acts

The decree further stipulates punishments for any person creating or running an electronic site to publish information online or through any information technology means to promote any terrorist groups and any unlicensed society, organisation or body, to facilitate contacts with their leaders or to solicit new members, promote the thoughts thereof, to finance their activities, to provide funds and actual help for its activities, or, for that matter, to promote the making of incendiary devices, explosives or any devices used in terrorist acts.

It also stipulates punishments for any person for creating or running an electronic site to raise, online or through any information technology means, that may call for the raising of donations without authorization from the competent authorities.

State security

It also stipulates penalties of imprisonment on any person who may create or run an electronic site or any information technology means, to deride or to damage the reputation or the stature of the state or any of its institutions, its President, the Vice President, any of the Rulers of the emirates, their Crown Princes, the Deputy Rulers, the national flag, the national anthem, the emblem of the state or any of its symbols.

It also stipulates penalties of imprisonment on any person publishing any information, news, caricatures or any other kind of pictures that would pose threats to the security of the state and to its highest interests or violate its public order.

It also stipulates penalties of imprisonment on any person creating or running an electronic site or any information technology means to engage in, or to call for, the overthrow of the system of government of the state or to seize it, or to seek to disrupt or obstruct the Constitution or the effective laws of the state, or to oppose the basic principles which constitute the foundations of the system of government of the state. The same punishment is imposed by the decree on anyone who calls for, promotes or provokes the aforementioned acts or abets or helps others to engage in them.

Demonstrations

It also stipulates penalties of imprisonment on any person using electronic sites or any information technology means to call for disobeying the laws and regulations of the state that may be in effect.

It also stipulates penalties of imprisonment on any person using electronic sites or any information technology means to call for demonstrations, marches and similar activities without a license being obtained in advance from the competent authorities.

Unauthorised trade

It also stipulates penalties of imprisonment on any person using electronic sites or any information technology means to call to engage in the unauthorised trade of antiquities and works of art.

It further stipulates penalties of imprisonment on any person using electronic sites or any information technology means to engage in the unauthorised use of, or provide unauthorized facilities to others to use, communication services or audio and video channels.

Contempt of religion

It also stipulates penalties of imprisonment for any person for using electronic sites or any information technology means to display contempt for any holy symbols, characters, figures and rituals of Islam including the Divinity (Allah, God) and the Prophets; for any other faiths or religions or any of their symbols, characters, figures and rituals; or to display contempt for or to insult any of the Divine Religions and to call for the engagement in or the promotion of sins.

Peddling

It also stipulates penalties of imprisonment for any person using electronic sites or any information technology means to engage in, promote or facilitate the illegal trade of drugs, narcotics and any psychoactive drugs.

Illegal funds and content

It also stipulates penalties of imprisonment for any person using electronic sites or any information technology means to transfer or deposit illegal funds with the intention to hide or camouflage their source, or, for that matter, to hide or camouflage the facts about illegal funds, their source, movement, ownership and the rights attached to them as well as to acquire, own or use illegal funds despite knowledge by the involved person of the illegal status of their sources.

The new decree also imposes penalties of imprisonment to any person providing any organisations, bodies, institutions or entities, online or through any information technology means with misleading, inaccurate or incorrect information which would damage the interests of the state or damage its reputation and stature.

The new decree also imposes penalties of imprisonment and fines, or either of these, on any owner or administrator of an electronic website or any information technology means or devices for storing or intentionally providing illegal content,despite his or her knowledge of the illegal nature of the content, or for not removing, or failing to prevent access to this illegal content within the period stated in a written warning sent to him by the competent authorities declaring the illegal status of the content available online or the electronic site.

Punishments

The new decree also allows for the seizure of the devices, software, programmes and any other means used in committing any of these crimes as well as the permanent or temporary closure of the involved property or the site. It also provided for the deportation of any foreigner convicted of any of these crimes upon the completion of the carrying out of any punishment.

The court may order that individuals convicted under the terms of the decree may be placed under surveillance or supervision, may be prevented from using networks or the information technology system or may be lodged in a rehabilitation centre or a treatment facility for a period considered by the court to be suitable.

Upon a request from the prosecutor general, the relevant court may mitigate the punishment of any people or exempt them from such punishment if they provided the judicial or administrative authorities with information related to any of the crimes against the security of the state stated in the decree, such information leading to the solving of the crime, the unveiling of or the confirmation of the involvement of the perpetrators or the apprehension of one of them.

Used materials form Emirates24.

UAE legal experts explanations on cyber crime law

In the UAE, the law prohibits VPNs if they are used to commit or conceal a crime, legal experts say.

“Article 9 in the UAE’s Law No.5/2012 on Combatting Cyber Crimes makes it an offense to use ‘a fraudulent computer network protocol address by using a false address or a third party address’ for the purposes of committing or concealing a crime,” said Dino Wilkinson, legal expert in Abu Dhabi.

“The focus of this type of legislation is generally on prohibiting larger-scale serious IT crime such as hacking or denial of service attacks,” he said.

Wilkinson said that it is highly unlikely the UAE law would be construed to pursue expatriates using VPNs to access online TV services.

“I am not aware of any particular enforcement actions being taken or contemplated by authorities on this type of benign personal use,” he said.

“I think there would be a bit of uproar among expats if they were stopped from watching Eastenders or the equivalent from their home countries.”

From Sahrzad’s Blog