Sharing Unverified News in the UAE: Criminal Liability Under Cybercrime Law

Since Iran launched its first wave of strikes on 28 February, social media feeds and group chats across the UAE have been flooded with videos, voice notes, and posts purporting to show what is happening. Some of that content is genuine. Much of it is recycled footage from other conflicts, stripped of context, or outright fabricated, and most of the people sharing it have no way of knowing the difference.

Under UAE law, that uncertainty does not protect you. Forwarding a video you did not film, a message you did not write, or a casualty figure you cannot verify is enough to expose you to criminal prosecution if the content turns out to be false and authorities determine it caused or was likely to cause public panic. This applies on every platform, including private group chats, and it applies to residents and visitors of every nationality.

This article covers the relevant law, the specific conduct that carries risk right now, and the steps worth taking if you have already shared something you are worried about.

The law that applies

Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumours and Cybercrime is the legislation governing this area. It replaced an earlier 2012 cybercrime law and extended both the scope of prohibited conduct and the severity of the penalties attached to it.

Article 52 criminalises the use of any electronic network or information technology tool to spread false news or rumours that endanger public order, public security, or national unity. The minimum custodial sentence is one year. The minimum fine is AED 100,000. Neither has a fixed ceiling: the court sets the sentence by reference to the circumstances of the offence and the consequences that followed from it.

Notably, the provision does not require that you created the content in question. Sharing something false is sufficient if it caused, or could reasonably have caused, the consequences the article describes. This covers WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, X, Facebook, and closed group chats equally. There is no carve-out for private messaging.

Article 23 separately targets the publication of information that could harm national security or expose military operations, a provision with obvious application while active incidents are being reported in real time. Article 43 covers content that damages the reputation of the UAE state or its institutions, and prosecutors have historically applied it with considerable latitude.

What carries legal risk right now

If the content did not originate from an official UAE source, it should not be shared. That principle is worth making concrete in terms of the categories most likely to attract scrutiny at the moment.

Unverified footage of attacks, fires, or damage. A significant number of videos currently circulating in UAE group chats have already been identified as repurposed footage from previous conflicts in other countries. Sharing a video that claims to show a specific location in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, without any basis for verifying that claim, is precisely the conduct Article 52 addresses.

Casualty figures or damage assessments that diverge from official statements. The UAE Ministry of Defence is the authorised source for information on interceptions, debris impact, and casualties. Content that contradicts those figures, regardless of how it is framed or where it came from, falls within the definition of false news if it turns out to be inaccurate.

Speculation about military targets, base locations, or infrastructure vulnerability. This category overlaps with Article 23 as well as Article 52. Posting theories about which sites have been or might be targeted, even framed as personal opinion or a question, creates exposure under both provisions.

Observations or questions posted to community groups that implicitly suggest something is happening. Asking whether a neighbourhood is being evacuated, whether a particular road is closed due to an attack, or whether an explosion was heard in a specific area can itself spread false information if the premise turns out to be inaccurate. UAE courts assess the effect of content, not the intent behind it.

Critical commentary on how the authorities are handling the situation. Article 43 has been invoked in cases involving content that would not raise an eyebrow in many other countries. In an active national security environment, the bar for what constitutes harmful criticism of state institutions sits lower than it does in ordinary times.

Why this is not a theoretical concern

UAE authorities have prosecuted individuals for social media conduct in situations far less serious than the present one. Residents have faced criminal charges for forwarding voice notes within a private building group chat of a few dozen people. Expatriates have been convicted and deported for content that was never publicly posted. In more than one documented case, the person prosecuted was not the author of the original content: they had simply passed it along to someone else.

Online content is being actively monitored right now, and the legal framework gives authorities wide discretion to act on material they consider harmful. Anyone who reads these laws and concludes they are rarely enforced is working from an outdated picture of how the UAE operates, and particularly of how it operates during a national security emergency.

Where to find accurate information

For anything related to security incidents, the UAE Ministry of Defence is publishing regular updates across its official channels covering interception figures, confirmed impacts, and public safety instructions. These are the only figures that carry any legal weight if your sharing of alternative information is later scrutinised.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued formal statements on the diplomatic dimension of the situation, including the note of protest delivered to the Iranian ambassador and the joint statement signed by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, and the United States. City-level updates on transport, road closures, and shelter guidance are being issued by the Dubai Media Office and the Abu Dhabi Government Media Office.

Established international wire services are reporting accurately on the broader regional conflict. For anything specific to what is happening inside the UAE, official government channels are the only sources that should be shared without hesitation.

What to do if you have already shared something

Delete it from every platform or channel where you shared it, and where your messaging application allows, remove it from the conversations where it was sent. Ask anyone you forwarded it to not to pass it on further.

Voluntary deletion before a post comes to the attention of authorities is treated as mitigation by UAE courts. It does not provide immunity, but it affects how a case is assessed if one is opened. Acting quickly to contain something you shared is a materially different situation from leaving it in place.

If you have received any communication from authorities in connection with something you shared, or if you are unsure about your position given how widely certain content has circulated, getting legal advice sooner rather than later is the right call. Early advice gives you more options, not fewer.

A note on who this applies to

Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 makes no distinction between UAE nationals, expatriate residents on work or residency visas, and short-term visitors. It covers public posts and private messages. It applies to the person who created the content and to the person who only forwarded it. It also reaches content published from outside the UAE if that content was directed at or accessible to people within the country.

Residents who have lived here for years sometimes assume a degree of latitude that the law does not actually provide. The UAE has spent a long time building its reputation as a stable, secure environment, and the authorities are not going to be passive about content that erodes public confidence during a moment when that reputation is under genuine pressure. Checking the Ministry of Defence channels before sharing anything, and saying nothing when in doubt, are the two most useful habits anyone in the UAE can develop right now.

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