The United Arab Emirates has issued a series of
amendments to its Cybercrimes Law, including harsher penalties and
sanctions for those who commit technology-related offences. Here is
a summary of the changes and how they may impact your
organisation.
Federal Decree-Law No. 2 of 2018 (the Amending
Decree) has been issued to amend certain provisions of
Federal Decree-Law No. 5 of 2012 on combatting IT crimes (the
Cybercrimes Law).
Summary of changes
The changes introduced by the Amending Decree comprise the
following:
- The penalty for establishing,
managing or running a website or publishing electronic information
that promotes terrorist groups or unauthorised organisations is
increased from a minimum five-year imprisonment and AED 2,000,000
fine to imprisonment for a period of between 10 and 25 years with a
fine of up to AED 4,000,000. Uploading, retransmission or
publication of content from such sites is now an offence punishable
by up to five years'
