Dubai: The Dubai Misdemeanor Court has fined a European woman Dh10,000 for posting abusive comments through the Google Maps application in which she accused a real estate company of fraud.
The court deprived the 38-year-old woman from using the information network for three months and ordered her to delete the abusive comments from the Internet.
According to the court papers, an official of a real estate company reported the defendant to the authorities after she posted offensive comments about the company through the Google Maps app.
The defendant said that she bought three apartments from the company in 2018 where she received two apartments on time, and the company procrastinated in handing over the third apartment worth over Dh500,000.
Other instances
This is the third instance in recent days where stringent action has been taken against those who have been posting offensive material on social media in the UAE.
Earlier, the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court convicted an accused (M.R.A.) for posting a video online that incited hate speech. According to the case facts, the defendant had posted a video clip on social media, which contained phrases abusive of men and domestic workers, contrary to public morals and norms.
The court had issued its judgment in the presence of the defendant, which sentenced the accused to imprisonment for a period of five years, a fine of Dh500,000 and deportation following enforcement of sentence. The court also ordered the confiscation of the mobile phone used in committing the crime; deletion of the video clip in question from both the mobile phone and the account on which it was posted, closing this account completely, and permanently banning her from using any information network, electronic information system, or any other information technology means.
In another instance, the Federal Prosecution for Combating Rumours and Electronic Crimes in the UAE ordered the pretrial detention of a resident pending an investigation into a number of charges levelled against him.
The individual was accused of using the information network to spread sensationalist propaganda designed to stir public opinion and damage public interest. Furthermore, he was charged with disseminating content that fails to comply with media content standards and is offensive to UAE society.
The charges arose after the Federal Investigation Department at the UAE Attorney General Office detected a social media video of the accused wearing an Emirati uniform in a luxury car showroom.
The video depicted the defendant being followed by two individuals carrying what appeared to be large sums of money. Engaging in dialogue with the car showroom owner, he requested to buy a car costing more than Dh2 million in a dismissive manner. He then proceeded to distribute financial packages to showroom workers in a way that demonstrated a lack of respect for and understanding of the value of money.
The Public Prosecution stated that this behaviour promoted a false and offensive projection of Emirati citizens, leading to public agitation and potential harm to public interest.
