Abu Dhabi – A UAE lawyer warned social media users against taking photos of accidents and posting them online.
“Law decree 5 of 2015 on combating IT crimes stipulates tough penalties against violators who infringe upon people’s privacies, including traffic accidents”, said Lawyer Youssef Al-Baher.
Indeed, under article 21 of the decree law, violators convicted of taking photos and posting them online would be jailed for at least months and/or fined up to AED 500,000.
“Filming people and their properties and posting their photos on social media websites without permission represent a serious prejudice to their personal rights”, said Al-Baher.
Under article 21 of the UAE Cybercrime Law, those caught using technology to invade someone else's privacy - which can even include eavesdropping, copying photos or publishing news - can be jailed for six months and face fines of between AED150,000 and AED300,000.
Dubai Police security media director Lieutenant Colonel Faisal Al-Qassim has also cautioned against taking video recordings or photos and posting them online.
He issued the warned after a viral video was posted online last Thursday, showing a 4W crashing into a Bank ATM booth in Burjman Shopping Centre in Dubai.