UAE Proposes Stringent Cybercrime Laws By Imposing Higher Fines and Jail Terms

UAE is getting tougher when it comes to punishing cybercrimes. The Federal National Council is proposing draft bills that will discourage fake cases and increase fines for cybercrimes. The draft bills were presented on FNC's meeting on Monday.

According to The National, the penalties for cybercrimes have raised from Dh150, 000 to Dh500, 000 to between Dh500, 000 and Dh2m.  Under the draft amendment, article 9 of the 2012 cybercrime law was also elevated from a misdemeanor to a crime. The article bans fake access to websites through the use of forged the IP address or another person's account to commit a crime.  If proven guilty, penalties could include a fine and a jail sentence.  

"There are many people now using electronic devices for insults and slander, among other things, so stricter measures might serve as a deterrent against such usage," said Jasem Al Naqbi, a FNC legislative committee member. He said that it's high time to punish people, who are using other people's account online.  Al Naqbi also added that the bill will prevent innocent people from being accused of the things they didn't commit.

In a report of Arabian Business, the site claims that those forging IP address or committing cybercrimes would face at least three years in prison and must pay a price of up to AED2 million in the new draft bills. At present, cybercrimes penalty is only amounting to up to AED500, 000.  People caught violating could be sentenced between 24 hours and three years.  IP fraud or IP spoofing is the manner where hackers act as the trusted hosts to hide their true identity and gain entry to a private network.

"The proposed amendment shows that the UAE authorities are keen to crack down on so-called IP spoofing by imposing harsher penalties for offenders," said Abu Dhabi-based lawyer named Dino Wilkinson.

Showq Al Katheri of Al Katheri Advocates and Legal Consultants told the Gulf News that social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp have brought damaging effects including fraud and cheating.  She claimed that cybercrimes could be committed by criminals including the minor hackers, criminals who use their knowledge of the internet and those individuals seeking to revenge on someone on the internet.

Cybercrimes are not only limited to individuals or groups. It could also threaten a country's financial security and safety.  With UAE's advanced technological advancements, higher officials are addressing the issues of cybercrimes before it's too late. 

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UAE cybercrime laws, cybercrimes, Federal National Council, 2012 cybercrime law, forging IP address, Computer Hacking

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