The Crime of Spreading Rumors and False News in UAE Legislation

By Legal Researcher: Sara Abdullah

In an era where rumors have transformed from side conversations in gatherings to electronic bullets launched at the speed of light, the word is no longer merely an opinion, but may become a crime. With a single click, the reputation of a nation can be shaken, the trust of a society undermined, or the image of an innocent individual distorted. At the heart of this changing reality, UAE legislation came to draw a clear line between freedom of expression and the chaos of misinformation. It enacted a law that keeps pace with the digital age and confronts the most dangerous forms of moral and social threats.

Therefore, the UAE law was keen to establish a legal provision that puts a deterrent limit on the crime of spreading rumors and false news through electronic means—not only from the perspective of punishment, but also for the balance that UAE law seeks to achieve between preserving freedoms and protecting societal security.

The UAE Federal Law No. 34 of 2021 concerning the combat of rumors and cybercrimes defined the crime of “spreading rumors and false news through electronic means” as:

“Publishing, republishing, or circulating false or misleading news, data, or rumors via any means of information technology or social media platforms with the intent to provoke public opinion, disrupt public security, affect societal stability, or harm the interests of the state or its institutions.”

And it set a punishment in Article 52 of this law, which states:

1. A penalty of imprisonment for a period not less than one year and a fine not less than one hundred thousand (100,000) dirhams shall be imposed on anyone who uses the information network or any means of information technology to broadcast, publish, republish, circulate, or recirculate false, malicious, misleading, or incorrect news, data, reports, or rumors, or anything contrary to what has been officially announced, or to spread any provocative propaganda that may incite or stir up public opinion, disturb public security, spread fear among people, or harm the public interest, the national economy, public order, or public health.

2. The penalty shall be imprisonment for a period not less than two (2) years and a fine not less than two hundred thousand (200,000) dirhams if any of the acts mentioned in Clause (1) of this Article result in inciting or stirring up public opinion against one of the state’s authorities or institutions, or if committed during times of pandemics, crises, emergencies, or disasters.

It is evident from the above-mentioned provision that the UAE legislator has imposed strict penalties on anyone who dares to tamper with the security of society by spreading lies and misleading rumors. We must always remember that the word is a trust, and no one has the right to speak recklessly without controls, because this will bring upon him, before others, calamities and misfortunes in this world and the hereafter.