Qatar Introduces New Penalties For Privacy Violations

The State of Qatar has introduced an amendment to its cybercrime legislation aimed at addressing the unauthorised publication or circulation of images and videos of individuals on the internet without their consent, knowledge, or in unlawfully declared contexts.

Law No. 11 of 2025 ("Amending Law") was published in the Official Gazette, Edition No. 20 of 2025, issued on 4 August 2025. The Amending Law introduces a new article, Article 8 (bis), to Law No. 14 of 2014 on combating cybercrime. According to the new article, offenders may face the following penalties for privacy violations:

• Imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year;
• A fine of up to 100,000 Qatari Riyals; or