Abu Dhabi Court Orders Dh50,000 Penalty Over Unauthorized Instagram Post

Abu Dhabi: A lady in Abu Dhabi has been forced to pay Dh50,000 ($13,600) in compensation after it was determined that she breached another woman’s privacy by uploading her photograph on Instagram without her authorisation.

Abu Dhabi Court Orders

According to Al Khaleej newspaper, the Abu Dhabi Family, Civil, and Administrative Cases Court ruled that the defendant utilised information technology illegally to disseminate the image without the claimant’s permission and outside of the legal parameters.

According to court documents, the claimant filed a civil case seeking Dh100,000 in compensation for material and moral damages caused by an illegal act that caused psychological suffering, reputational harm, and social disgrace. She also claimed legal interest on the compensation and payment for legal fees.

The civil case followed a criminal verdict in which the defendant was found guilty, fined Dh50,000, forced to erase the photographs immediately, and forbidden from using computer networks for three months.

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The court determined that the defendant’s activities had resulted in demonstrated moral injury by trespassing on the claimant’s privacy and dignity. The judgement stated that the unlawful release of the image caused the claimant psychological suffering, social embarrassment, and a sense of personal violation due to the nature of social media platforms, which allow content to be widely shared and circulated.

In its reasoning, the court stated that such non-material harm cannot be assessed using a fixed financial standard and must instead be determined based on the circumstances of each case, such as the seriousness of the act, the extent of the harm, and the causal link between the wrongful act and the damage suffered.

The court determined that financial compensation was required to remedy the loss sustained, and that Dh50,000 represented appropriate and proportionate compensation without excess, given the nature of the violation and the confirmed moral damage caused by the breach of privacy.