What is the fine for using a VPN in Dubai & UAE?
What is the fine for using a VPN in Dubai? How dangerous is it to use a VPN in the UAE – We finally clarify
Virtual private networks (VPNs) are widely used in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for various purposes. Businesses use them to avoid local government surveillance of their trading activities, while regular citizens use them to make phone calls or shop online.
Your ISP network provider keeps tabs on everything you do online, leaving you vulnerable to phishing schemes, snoopers, and prying eyes who want access to your financial information, email addresses, social networking handles and other sensitive information. Your private information can be accessed and shared with anyone with a legitimate need, including the government. On the other hand, VPN Dubai functions as a virtual security guard, preventing unauthorized access to your personal information while enabling you to visit geo-restricted websites through your home ISP. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) allow you to bypass censorship by routing your Internet traffic through a server in another country. If this is the case, your local ISP will be unable to track your online activities in any way.
The use of a Dubai VPN is forbidden in the United Arab Emirates. Many websites are blocked in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), making it impossible for anybody in the country or using an ISP based in the UAE to access them.
UAE Laws Governing VPN
Using a VPN Dubai is governed by Federal Law No. 5 of 2012 for Combating Information Technology Crimes (the Cyber Crime Law), as amended by Federal Law No. 12 of 2016 (the Amendment to Cyber Crime Law or the Amendment). It’s important to remember that VPN use is now clearly illegal in the United Arab Emirates, thanks to a recent amendment to the country’s Cyber Crime statute. According to Article 1 of the Amendment, which amends Article 9 of the Cyber Crime Law, anyone who uses a fraudulent computer network by using a fake IP address or a shared address to commit a crime or prevent the government from monitoring such activity will be punished with either a fine of at least AED 500,000 (UAE Dirhams five hundred thousand) and no more than AED 2,000,000 (UAE Dirhams two million) or imprisonment for a term not to exceed one year (UAE Dirhams two million). Cybercrime offenders can now face fines of up to AED 500,000 (UAE Dirhams $500,000) because of a recent change in the law. Notably, the Amendment does not outlaw VPN use; nevertheless, if a person uses a VPN to commit a crime or to avoid detection, they will be deemed criminals under this law.
Following the passing of the Cybercrime Law Amendment, the UAE’s Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA), which oversees all things related to the country’s internet and VPN usage, made it clear that any UAE-based business or organization, be it a financial or non-financial institution, is free to subscribe to a VPN service to access the internet from within the country. However, the TRA retains the right to keep tabs on the VPN and non-VPN usage of these entities and can do
Using a virtual private network (VPN) to commit an unlawful act is now explicitly illegal, as is the misuse of a VPN for illegal purposes, as is evident from even the most cursory examination of the Cyber Crime Law and its Amendment. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), using a virtual private network (VPN) may not be illegal. Still, if you are ever caught while using a VPN, it may be challenging to demonstrate that you were not engaged in criminal activity while using a VPN. Therefore, to avoid future casualties or the risk of being charged under Cyber Crime Law, Lawyers of Dubai would only advocate using VPN services approved by the government or government-owned.
What Is the Fine for Using a VPN In Dubai & UAE?
As stated above, the Cyber Offense Law and its Amendment exclusively fines individuals who have utilized a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to perpetrate fraudulent activity or crime under UAE Criminal Law. Furthermore, the new Amendment has recently revised the penalties for this offence to deter UAE nationals and businesses from engaging in illegal activity via virtual private network (VPN) services. In comparison to the previous law, which imposed a maximum penalty of AED 5,00,000 (UAE Dirhams five hundred thousand), the new Amendment increases the maximum penalty to AED 2,000,000 (UAE Dirhams two million).
The scope of illegal VPN use is broad because the authority has the last say on what constitutes a “crime” under the Cyber Crime Act and its amendments. Article 35 of the Cyber Crime Law, for example, punishes the service provider for engaging in any online activity without holding the appropriate authorization under the Law of Telecommunications. Although it has been mentioned on multiple occasions that corporations are permitted to utilize VPN services, it is essential to emphasize that their contracts with internet service providers shall specifically enable the usage of VPN services.
How to Stay Out of Trouble While Using a VPN Dubai
The government of the United Arab Emirates has outlawed the use of several websites and forms of online content due to their deceptive and fraudulent nature. These include sites that facilitate online theft or fraud, sites that permit impersonating another person to commit theft or fraud, and sites that allow others to access another person’s personal information or bank account details. Further, it forbids content that violates people’s right to privacy, such as recordings of phone calls or information from private or governmental institutions.
Avoiding legal difficulties related to virtual private network use requires refraining from illegal activities. The TRA makes it clear that businesses of all types can use VPNs but that violating the UAE Penal Code will result in legal repercussions.
Since the UAE government has officially outlawed Skype and Whatsapp calls, the increasing popularity of VPN services is mainly attributable to allowing users to make international phone calls (including video and audio conversations) without being detected. Suppose you want to prevent problems using limited VPN servers or gaining access to prohibited websites under a local ISP. In that case, we recommend purchasing Dubai VPN packages that are freely available for calling and are offered by your network service provider.
We think there are several reasons why a VPN might be useful, and we list some of them below:
- VPN Dubai gives you secure access to internal company files and data, shielding sensitive information from unauthorized disclosure.
- Using a virtual private network can prevent snoopers from gaining access to your private network or private data when connected to a public Wi-Fi network.
- Government officials working in confidence or for state security require a high level of security to prevent hackers from other nations from gaining access to such material; a DUBAI VPN can provide this security.
While weighing the pros and cons, we should remember that we live in an era when virtually anything can be accomplished with the click of a mouse. Therefore, such systems make it simple for hackers to perpetrate heinous crimes. The use of Dubai VPN servers is not illegal if no crime was committed, as the Cyber Crime Law and its Amendment make clear. You should be aware, however, that if you were ever accused of such a crime while engaging in activities on the internet that were concealed and encrypted, proving your innocence would be a tall order.
Can Using a Virtual Private Network Get You Deported?
When deciding whether to issue a deportation order, the courts in the United Arab Emirates have broad authority. Until the Cyber Crime Law Amendment came into effect, deportation was a common punishment for those found guilty in addition to the penalties outlined in the original law. However, the 2016 Amendment makes it purely discretionary for the courts to issue deportation edicts. Finally, the court may issue a deportation order or a permanent travel ban on the accused because of major cybercrime offences.
