Risks Involved in Publishing Defamatory Messages Online in the UAE

In today’s digital world, expressing opinions is easy as individuals can be vocal worldwide. In regards to the cyber laws, people have violated their right to express their opinion by publishing defamatory messages online in the UAE. With time, the UAE has created social media laws to protect the rights of individuals regarding defamation, sexual assaults, and scams conducted online.

The UAE lawyers can provide you with guidance about the new cyber laws and how to protect yourself from defamation and online assaults. If anyone in the UAE is dealing with issues such as cybercrime cases, social media assault, and others, he has the right to hire a professional lawyer who can assist them in dealing with such matters.

Defamation is considered an act of publishing false information about someone to harm their influence or reputation. The defamation could be verbal, written, or spoken. The person can file a complaint against defamation if they have witnessed anything like that. The rules and regulations can protect the rights of those individuals.

The defamation laws are constituted under the cybercrime laws. Under the UAE Penal Code, defamatory messages could be sent in various ways. The defamatory messages are validated under Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021 (UAE Penal Code) and Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumors and Cybercrimes.

The victims can claim compensation if they have been victims of defamation online. The compensation is financial, and justice is served under the UAE civil transactions law.

The publishing of defamatory messages online in the UAE has severe punishments.

Defamation is a serious crime in the UAE. Residents of the UAE are penalized with hefty financial fines and imprisonment.

Along the financial penalties, the expatriate is deported if they send out a defamatory message online in the UAE.

Further, the UAE Penal Courts would remove the defamed content from the internet and provide financial compensation to the victim. However, victim should also consult Dubai lawyers or legal experts in the UAE to file a proper legal complaint. A good expert of cyber law can help them in presenting their case according to UAE cyber and defamation laws. Police complaints are initiated for criminal cases.

Nowadays, individuals and companies have made digital footprints for their survival. It is the best platform to spread information across the masses. There has been a spread of misinformation, too.

People find Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter (X), and LinkedIn a reliable source of news these days. These platforms have various groups where people can voice their concerns regarding the purchase or even work ethics. Each of these platforms is used to put content in a different way. For example, a company could be defamed by an employee on LinkedIn.

If you are posting, sharing, or liking any defamatory content, that shows your participation in spreading misinformation. Therefore, you should be cautious online while using social media.

People may share their real concerns with anonymity to protect the company’s and the victim’s reputation.

There is a thin line between opinion and defamation. Both are personal acts, but cannot be derogatory every time they are expressed.

Expressing your own thoughts and concerns about something or someone, whether positive or negative, is an opinion. Your words should not harm other people. The opinion shall be shared with the public with facts.

It is usually aimed at tarnishing someone’s reputation without sharing the facts. Baseless opinions with derogatory comments are considered defamation. It is more like accusing someone of dishonesty without any evidence.

The UAE has strict penalties under the cybercrime laws. Authorities would investigate the case rigorously to ensure online defamation. One should also get help and guidance from law firms in Dubai who have young lawyers who can help deal with strict penalties.

Online defamation cases in the UAE are investigated thoroughly. These cases require evidence, including chat messages, screenshots, and sometimes, data privacy is penetrated for more evidence. There are several digital tools that are provided to the higher officials to investigate online defamation.

The victim can claim compensation for online defamation. They may have suffered from financial losses when defamed in public. It usually happens with companies or entrepreneurs. Other people may go through emotional distress, and they would also be compensated for the mental stress they have gone through.

In the UAE, people may not know if they are violating defamation laws by posting their views online. Therefore, you must know a few things to stay away from defaming any entity.

As an internet user, you must verify the facts before putting them across social media. People would share rumors with you, but that does not mean that you should post them online without verifying the truth. In case there is a fact in the online post, then you should use polite language to express your opinion.

It is not recommended to share your private dispute online. Whether you have an argument with the company or a person, always think wisely. Spreading disputes over the internet will result in defamation and misinformation. It will make your life difficult. Always try to resolve disputes in private by hiring lawyers in the UAE.

With the modern technology in the UAE, there are several ways to report a defamation case.

The UAE has digital footprints in the legal system. An eCrime portal is created by the UAE police department. Individuals can file a complaint online on this portal with evidence such as screenshots and share account details and URLs.

The UAE legal system ensures justice and protects the rights of everyone. Whether you are the victim or accused of defamation, legal consultation is your right in the UAE. The lawyers in Dubai and the UAE are always there to assist individuals with their cases of defamation as per the UAE criminal laws.