Cybercrimes have become a global issue with many jurisdictions frantically trying to incorporate new legislation to cover such crimes and create new punishments to ensure that perpetrators are adequately persecuted. The severity of cybercrimes differs immensely from crime to crime; however, the need for adequate regulation does not falter. The United Arab Emirates has recently issued new cybercrime regulations in order to bring the law into conformity with the regulation needed. These new regulations fall under Federal Decree Law Number 2 of 2018 which makes amendments to the Federal Decree Law Number 5 of 2015 on combatting IT crimes.
The new regulation brings about new provisions that enable the United Arab Emirates to deport any expatriates or foreign persons from the United Arab Emirates should such person be found guilty of any infractions relating to the Cybercrime laws.
The new regulations ensure the bring about more severe penalties for all persons found guilty of committing cybercrimes and any infractions regarding technology. Such regulations bring about a new penalty for terroristic behavior online, and such behavior can be in the form of establishing and running a website, blog or any other page that incites terrorist groups or organizations. This new penalty will see an increase in the sentence as well as the fine implemented – sentences will be between ten and twenty-five years as opposed to the previous five-year sentence. While the fines have been increased from a fine of AED 2,000,000 to AED 4,000,000.
Linked to the abovementioned offense, any form of retransmission of any material of such sites has now been included as an offense punishable by law. Infractions of this nature will find punishment of up to five years imprisonment and a fine of up to AED 1,000,000.
Another new regulation brought about by the Federal Decree Law Number 2 of 2018 is the widening of the regulation against content which may endanger national/public security and content that incites such endangerment to include acts which endanger judicial law enforcement officers.
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