In Dubai (and UAE), importing of pornographic material in any form, whether it is electronic or magazines is illegal, according to the UK foreign office advisory. In UAE, all identified websites that host pornographic content are blocked by the telecom operators, in accordance with the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA’s) guidelines.
List of TRA website categories blocked in the UAE:
- Internet Content that contradicts with the ethics and morals of the UAE including Nudity and Dating.
- Internet Content that contains material which expresses hate to religions.
- Internet Content that is not inline with UAE Laws.
- Internet Content that allow or assist users to access Blocked Content.
- Internet Content that directly or indirectly constitute a risk on UAE internet users such as Phishing websites, Hacking tools & Spywares.
- Internet Content that is relevant to gambling.
- Internet Content that provide information on purchasing, manufacturing, promoting and using illegal drugs.
If users try to access pornographic websites, they are blocked by the telecom operators. A typical message from Du and Etisalat appears as below:
It is notable that a Whatsapp group admin was arrested in May 2018 for uploading pornographic pictures into the group. Additionally, 5 members of the Whatsapp group who commented on the pictures were arrested.
What UAE’s Cybercrime Law Says?
UAE’s cybercrime law, the Federal Decree-Law No 5 of 2012, article No 17 and 19, which stipulates that “punish anyone who produces, transmits, publishes and exploits through an electronic site gambling and/or pornographic material or any other material that may prejudice public morals. Any person, who establishes, operates or supervises an electronic site and/or transmits, sends or publishes through an electronic site; gambling and/or pornographic materials shall be punished by imprisonment and a fine of not less than Dh250,000 and not exceeding Dh500,000
