UAE privacy ruling fines woman over unauthorised Instagram photo.
Abu Dhabi: A woman in Abu Dhabi has been ordered to pay Dh50,000 ($13,600) in compensation after a court ruled she violated another woman’s privacy by posting her photograph on Instagram without consent.
The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil, and Administrative Cases Court determined that the defendant had unlawfully used information technology to share the image without the claimant’s permission and beyond the scope allowed by law, Al Khaleej newspaper reported.
Court records show that the claimant filed a civil lawsuit seeking Dh100,000 in compensation for material and moral damages, citing psychological distress, reputational harm, and social embarrassment caused by the unlawful act. She also requested legal interest on the compensation and reimbursement of legal expenses.
The civil case followed a criminal ruling in which the defendant was convicted, fined Dh50,000, ordered to delete the images immediately, and prohibited from using online networks for three months.
The court noted that the defendant’s actions caused proven moral harm by violating the claimant’s privacy and personal dignity. The judgment highlighted that the unauthorized publication of the image subjected the claimant to psychological distress, social embarrassment, and a sense of personal violation, particularly given the wide reach and circulation of content on social media platforms.
The court explained that non-material harm cannot be measured by a fixed financial standard but must be evaluated based on the specifics of each case, including the severity of the act, the extent of the harm, and the causal link between the wrongful act and the damage incurred.
It concluded that financial compensation was warranted to address the harm, ruling that Dh50,000 was fair and proportionate, considering the nature of the violation and the confirmed moral damage caused by the breach of privacy.
