Using VPN Technology In The UAE: Awareness And Action

There has been much discussion in the media regarding the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), triggered by the recently announced Federal Law No. (12) of 2016 (the Amendment), which amends Federal Decree-Law No. (5) of 2012 on Combating Cybercrimes (the Law). The Amendment, which revisits the use of VPNs in the UAE, has raised potential concerns over the use of VPN technology in the UAE. In this alert we examine the legal and practical risks associated with using VPNs in the UAE.

The key provision of the Amendment, as cited by the press, states that an imprisonment term and/or a financial penalty of between AED 500,000 and AED 2 million could be imposed on any person that uses a fraudulent VPN address for the purposes of committing a crime or preventing its discovery.