HOW TO CHECK AND PAY VPN FINES IN DUBAI:
WHAT DOES VPN STANDS FOR?
VPN stands for Virtual private network.The use of virtual private networks (VPNs) is one of the highest in the world with 3.82 million residents downloading VPNs in the first-half of 2020.
VPNs are used to open the blocked websites which are blocked by the government of Dubai to avoid un Islamic videos and terrorist info etc.
IS VPN USAGE ILLEGAL IN UAE?
The usage of VPN in the UAE is not illegal if it is used as per the guidelines of the UAE government and TRA.
Though the use of VPN is not illegal in the UAE, its misuse is a serious offence and punishable with a fine of up to Dh2 million and imprisonment. Moreover, using VPN by hiding the IP address to get access to websites, calling and gaming applications which are blocked by the UAE government is illegal.
VPNs can be used legally in the UAE, if it is:
• Not to spread hate
• Not to gather people for any illegal protests.
• Not for fraudulent purposes.
• Not to be used for crime.
• Not to be used for preventing crime discovery.
• Not to be used for any anti-religious content.
• Not to use for anti-state activities.
• Not to be used to access porn websites.
FINES ON USAGE OF VPNs:
The UAE Cybercrime Law No 5 of 2012, issued by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2012, includes stern punishments that could go up to a life sentence and/or a fine varying between Dh50,000 and Dh3 million depending on the severity and seriousness of the cybercrime.
While the UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has always maintained that the illegal use of VPN is against its policies. The police have also cautioned that legal action can be taken under Law Number 9 against users of VPN for any illegal activities.
Thousands of people are using VPN in UAE for VOIP and to access their desired websites from anywhere around the world including UAE. So, it is not considered illegal but you have to make sure that it may not use for something that is unethical in UAE.
Previously, the law was restricted to prosecuting people who used VPNs as part of an internet crime, but UK-based VPN and privacy advocate Private Internet Access says that the law has now changed to enable police in the UAE to go after anyone who uses VPNs to access blocked services, which is considered to be fraudulent use of an IP address.
ADVANTAGE OF VPN:
VPNs are services that allow users anywhere in the world to connect to a private network on the internet. These are useful for online privacy, as they hide the user’s actual location.
DISADVANTAGES OF VPNs:
However, they can also be used to circumvent region restrictions on content – such as tricking Netflix US into thinking that foreign users are based in that country, or bypassing state censorship in China or Turkey to access services like Twitter and Facebook or even pornographic websites. VPNs are also often used in conjunction with the Tor anonymity network to access websites hidden on the Dark Web.
FIGHT AGAINST FREE VoIP APPS:
VoIP “over-the-top” apps have long been a thorn in the sides of telecoms operators around the world, because consumers no longer need to pay international calling rates to speak to their loved ones – they can just speak to them on Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Viber or Snapchat.
But the UAE is one of the first governments in the world to actually regulate on behalf of and for its telecoms companies in order to help them stem loss of revenue from VoIP apps.
Etisalat and du are the only two companies in the world that have been granted licences by the UAE government to offer commercial VoIP services, which can be expensive, and rather than enable citizens and residents to have choice about what services they want to use, the government is assisting UAE’s telecom providers in upholding a monopoly on voice calls made in the country.
Although experts have criticised the UAE and Etisalat and du in the past for seeking to block the voice calling features in Snapchat, Skype and Whatsapp from working in the UAE, the UAE’s telecoms regulator stands by the Etisalat and du, and also says that the apps should be banned due to security concerns.
