In this increasingly tech-savvy market place, many firms, in seeking to promote their business, allow customers and clients to post comments to their website or social media sites. Caution must be exercised in those circumstances to ensure that any such comments are carefully monitored –you, as the owner of the platform that allows those comments to be published, may be held liable if those comments are against the law Federal Law No. 5 of 2012 on Combating Cyber Crimes, (“the Law”) deals with a variety of issues relating to information published on-line. Article Article 24 of the Law says that anyone who “establishes or administer[s]or runs a website or publishes on a computer network or any information technology means which would promote or advocate any programs or ideas which incite civil disturbance, sectarianism, or damage the national unity or social peace or prejudice the public order and public morals” can be imprisoned and fined a fine not less than AED 500,000 and not in excess of AED 1 million.
