Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH — The Saudi Public Prosecution emphasized that defaming or harming others via technology is a cybercrime that warrants accountability. It threatened to impose the statutory penalties stipulated in the Anti-Cybercrime Law against the violators of the law.
The Public Prosecution stressed that the law protects privacy and safeguards rights, and criminalizes any unlawful use of technology to offend or spread harmful content, as part of its efforts to protect the digital community from behavioral and media violations.
According to Article 3 of the Anti-Cybercrime Law, anyone who commits an act that affects the privacy or reputation of others, or who misuses mobile phones and modern technology devices, shall be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year and a fine not exceeding SR500,000, or one of these two penalties.
Lawyer Salman Al-Ramali said that the law is one of the stringent in protecting reputation and digital privacy. “The penalty does not only relate to direct defamation, but also extends to any publication or circulation that results in harm or abuse to individuals."
He added that the Public Prosecution is implementing the law within the principle of "preventive deterrence" to ensure a safe digital environment. “Any tweet or post containing insult or defamation falls within the scope of a cybercrime, even if it is through reposting or an offensive comment,” Al-Ramali said while emphasizing that the law aims to protect privacy and preserve human dignity, and that any digital transgression on social media platforms constitutes a direct violation of the law, requiring the application of the legal penalty against the perpetrators.