Abu Dhabi Court Could Impose $68,000 Fine on Man for Swearing in Text Message

Daniel Bean
·Assistant Editor
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Those living under the cyber crime laws in the United Arab Emirates might want to go ahead and set aside a big swear jar. As one man is finding out the hard way, sending a text message that uses a profanity while in one of the country’s lavish cities could garner a fine as large as $68,000.

7Days UAE reported Tuesday that the defendant, initially ordered to pay a 3,000 Dhs ($815) fine for swearing at another man over WhatsApp, is now being brought back to trial by an Abu Dhabi court. Prosecution won the right for a retrial, and is asking the alleged foul-mouth to pay the full possible fine amount.

Talk about expensive texting fees; Verizon doesn’t look so bad, after all, does it?

But the same UAE cyber laws that sit poised to hit potty-mouth text messagers in the pockets have also, over the years, put a wide variety of “offenders” behind bars.

An activist in 2013 was sentenced to two years in prison for sending tweets that were critical of the country’s handling of the “UAE 94″ trial. And an American living in Dubai in 2012 was ordered a one-year jail stint and a 10,000 Dhs ($2,700) fine for posting a parody video online that “defamed the UAE’s image abroad.”

S#%&, that all sounds pretty rough!

Via: The Telegraph

Email me at danbean@yahoo-inc.com. Follow me on Twitter at danielwbean.

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