People in the United Arab Emirates could face jail time and a hefty fine for swearing on WhatsApp under the country's strict new cyber laws.
An Arab man prosecuted for swearing at a colleague via the instant messaging app is facing a retrial and a fine of up to £45,000 after prosecutors argued that his the previous fine of £523 was too lenient.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Be careful of what you send on smartphones or emails," said a senior Dubai Police official. "It's up to the recipient to open a criminal case if they feel offended by a message."
Britons travelling to hotspots like Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been advised that the rules apply to tourists and expats too, and the Daily Telegraph warns that they could face deportation.
Last month, Emirati police and lawyers said that sending a "middle finger" emoji symbol could result in offenders facing three years in jail and a hefty £87,000 fine under the same law.
However, friends who use the image in a lighthearted manner will not necessarily be prosecuted, as an official complaint would have to be filed.
"With the development of technology, people have started insulting others on social media using services like WhatsApp or BlackBerry messenger," said criminal defence lawyer Abdullah Yousef Al Nasir. "Some people insult or mock others thinking nobody can prosecute them," he said. "But the UAE has issued a cyber-crimes law to punish anyone committing any crime like insulting someone using technology."
Earlier this year, a woman in Saudi Arabia was sentenced to 70 lashes for insulting a man on the same messaging service.
The details of the message were not made public, but the 32-year old woman was also required to pay a fine of 20,000 riyals (£3,600) for "tarnishing" the man's reputation.
-
The environmental cost of GLP-1sThe explainer Producing the drugs is a dirty process
-
Greenland’s capital becomes ground zero for the country’s diplomatic straitsIN THE SPOTLIGHT A flurry of new consular activity in Nuuk shows how important Greenland has become to Europeans’ anxiety about American imperialism
-
‘This is something that happens all too often’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
