False IP address using VPN for a crime: You could get a Dh2 million fine in UAE

Dubai: Using a false Internet Protocol (IP) address to commit a crime can be punished by either imprisonment or a fine between Dh500,000 and Dh2 million, or both, the UAE Public Prosecution reiterated on Saturday.

In a video tweeted on Saturday, the authority explained that an IP address is a numerical label assigned to any device in a computer network used for communication. According to Article 9 of the Federal Law No. 5 of 2012 on Combating Cybercrimes (and its amendments), whoever uses a fraudulent IP address, by using a false address or a third-party address or by any other means, for the purpose of committing a crime or preventing its discovery, shall be punished by imprisonment and a fine not less than Dh500,000 and not is excess of Dh2 million, or either of these two penalties.

The fines’ range was initially lower as per the 2012 law, however in 2016, the range was increased. A third-party IP address can be generated by using a VPN, or virtual private network — which if used to commit a crime, such as using online gambling services, can be punishable by the said penalties.