The Anti-Cybercrime Law in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia clarifies specific types of crimes committed using computers or information networks, along with their corresponding penalties. The following is a brief overview of the most important provisions contained in Articles 1 through 10 of the Law.
What is a Cybercrime?
A cybercrime is any act committed using a computer or information network in violation of the provisions of the Anti-Cybercrime Law. This includes not only the internet but also individual computers and information networks, as defined by the Law.
Crimes Punishable by Up to One Year in Prison
The Law stipulates a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of up to five hundred thousand riyals, or one of these two penalties, for crimes including eavesdropping, intercepting, or recording without a valid legal justification; unauthorized access to a website; violating privacy by misusing camera-equipped phones; and defamation via information technology.
In cases of extortion, mere threats or demands are insufficient; Article 3 stipulates that unauthorized access must be for the purpose of threatening or blackmailing a person to compel them to perform an act or refrain from performing an act, even if that act or refraining is lawful.
Financial Crimes: Penalty of up to three years
The law stipulates a prison sentence of up to three years and a fine of up to two million riyals, or one of these two penalties, for the fraudulent acquisition of movable property, a document, or a forged signature on a document, or by using a false name or impersonating another person.
This category includes unauthorized access to banking, credit, or securities ownership data to obtain data, information, funds, or services made available through that data; its scope is not limited to the misappropriation of funds alone.
Crimes punishable by up to four, five, or ten years
The penalty for unauthorized access to delete, leak, or alter private data, or to disrupt an information network or service, is imprisonment for up to four years and a fine of up to three million riyals, or one of these two penalties.
The penalty may be imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years and a fine not exceeding three million riyals, or one of these two penalties, for offenses including producing, preparing, transmitting, or storing anything that could harm public order, religious values, public morals, or the sanctity of private life, and for crimes related to trafficking in persons, drugs, or psychotropic substances, or to pornography networks or gambling activities that violate public morals. The judgment may include a provision for publishing a summary of it at the expense of the convicted person after the judgment becomes final.
The penalty may be imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years and a fine not exceeding five million riyals, or one of these two penalties, for establishing or publishing a website for terrorist organizations for the purposes specified in Article Seven, or for unlawfully accessing data that affects the internal or external security of the state or its national economy.
Aggravating Circumstances
If the crime is committed by an organized gang, or involves a public office, abuse of power or influence, or includes the exploitation and manipulation of minors or those considered legally incompetent, or if the perpetrator has prior convictions for similar crimes, the prison sentence or fine shall not be less than half the maximum penalty.
Incitement, Aiding, Aiding, and Attempting
Anyone who incites, aids, or abets the commission of a cybercrime shall be punished with a penalty not exceeding the maximum penalty for that crime if the crime is subsequently committed. If the original crime is not committed, the penalty shall not exceed half the maximum penalty.
Attempting any of the crimes stipulated in this law shall be punished with a penalty not exceeding half the maximum penalty prescribed for the crime.
Awareness Notice
This article provides a brief overview of Articles 1-10 of the Anti-Cybercrime Law. For details, please refer to the full text of the law.
Disclaimer: The above content does not constitute legal advice, and the firm assumes no legal responsibility. For legal advice, please contact us.