Dubai: Acquiring pornographic material involving juveniles will land you in jail in the UAE, and it can also leave you with a fine of up to Dh1 million, according to the UAE’s cybercrime laws.
In an awareness message posted by the UAE Public Prosecution on its social media channels on August 2, the authority posted Article 18 of the Federal Decree-Law no. 5 of 2012 on combating cybercrimes (also referred to as the UAE’s Cybercrimes Law) on ‘Penalty for acquiring pornographic materials using information technology’.
The article states: “Shall be sentenced to detention for a minimum term of six months and a fine not less than Dh150,000 and not in excess of Dh1 million, whoever has deliberately acquired pornographic materials involving juveniles by using an electronic information system or computer network or electronic website or any information technology means.”
Cybercrimes law
The UAE’s Cybercrimes Law also covers crimes like online defamation, cyber extortion and hate speech.
The law also makes it illegal to disclose any information obtained by electronic means, if such information was obtained in an unauthorised manner.
