New cybercrime law will carry heavy financial penalties Sharjah and Abu Dhabi |By Nissar Hoath and Dhahi Hassan | 10-05-2001 Gulf News Cyber crime will soon carry heavy financial penalties under a new law being drafted by the UAE to halt the growing misuse of the Internet. Ali Ibrahim Al Hosani, Assistant Undersecretary for Fatwa, Legislation and State Affairs in the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs and Awqaf, said yesterday that the draft law on cyber crime is being reviewed by the Fatwa and Legislation Department. Al Hosani was addressing the Sharjah Consultative Council which met yesterday to discuss the policies of the ministry and the facilities and services it provides in Sharjah. "The ministry is working out a new Federal Penalty Law which deals with various kinds of crime. But due to the rapid rise in electronic crime, particularly through the Internet, there has been a vital need for a separate law to deal with this," Al Hosani said. A source close to the Ministerial Legislative Committee that is preparing the draft law said there will be no jail term but hefty fines for violators of the UAE Cyber Law. "When the law is implemented, the UAE will be the first Middle East country and one among many developed nations to have a full cyber law," he said. The source said the law will have 35 articles dealing with Internet crime. It will have two categories dealing with cyber crime. One will be a set of laws on violation of signing agreements on the net and related document forgery. The other will be on Internet crimes such as hacking, credit card and privacy invasion, copyright violation, cyber theft and others. Fines will be fixed according to the nature of the crime committed. Asked how future crimes arising from fast-developing Information Technology will be handled, he said there will be flexibility in the law to deal with unexpected and emerging crimes. "I know it is difficult to control such crimes with a set of fixed laws, that is why the draft is being prepared in a way that it could tackle crime that is new and unexpected." He added that the committee is also studying international laws on cyber crime to help broaden the law's spectrum. "Another important thing is awareness among computer users. The law alone cannot curb such crimes, it is education and awareness that will do a greater job," he said.
