A person who is using VPN illegally in UAE can receive a heavy fine or even be jailed. These fines can range from AED 500,000 to AED 2,000,000 depending on the type of crime committed. However, there may be cases in which the person will receive a fine and spend time in prison.
Based on the aforementioned provisions of the regulations of TDRA, if you are using any applications (apps) in the UAE which are prohibited through VPN to make VOIP calls, then such action by you may be considered illegal and may attract penalties as mentioned above in the provision of UAE Cyber Law.
Can the police track VPN usage in UAE? No, the police in the UAE don't have the ability to track your real-time internet traffic while encrypted by a VPN.
Several laws limit anonymous communication online. State surveillance is widespread and infringes on users' right to privacy. The country is home to some of the most sophisticated surveillance technology, and authorities can monitor civilians' activity both online and offline.
Internet censorship
The UAE has been listed as "Under Surveillance" by Reporters Without Borders since 2008. Pornographic sites are banned and so is anti-Islamic and anti-government/anti-police material. The United Arab Emirates censors the Internet using Secure Computing's solution.
The report revealed that 3.82 million UAE residents downloaded VPN in the first half of 2020 with a penetration rate reaching 38.7 per cent.
If you're in the U.S., VPNs are legal, so no, you can't get into trouble for using them. However, if you're in a country that bans VPNs, like China, then yes, you can get into trouble for using them.
In Dubai, and by extension the UAE, the use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services are banned – including WhatsApp. Users are instead directed to paid apps, such as Botim to make internet calls.
Frequently Asked Questions About Using WhatsApp in Dubai
Yes, you can use Instagram in Dubai. There are plenty of alternatives for WhatsApp that will help you stay connected to your loved ones while you're visiting Dubai.
Why Are Voice Calls, Video Calls and VOIP Services Banned? As mentioned earlier, the UAE government has banned WhatsApp calling and other Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls because of privacy and national security reasons.
Are VPNs legal in Australia? Yes, VPNs are legal in Australia. However, anything that is illegal without a VPN remains illegal when using one, even if the VPN has made it possible.
Many VPN users will turn to a VPN to help remain anonymous so that they can effectively engage in illegal or legally gray area streaming activities. A VPN service will hide copyright infringement activities, but it won't protect users who are caught even after using a VPN service.
Moreover, even if you use a personal VPN, your employer can still see that it is you who is connecting to the company network, as most corporate VPNs require user login credentials. Additionally, if you use the virtual desktop version of a browser, your employer may be able to monitor your browsing history.
Swearing and making rude gestures (including online) are considered obscene acts and offenders can be jailed or deported. Take particular care when dealing with the police and other officials. Public displays of affection are frowned upon, and there have been several arrests for kissing in public.
Police can't track live, encrypted VPN traffic, but if they have a court order, they can go to your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and request connection or usage logs. Since your ISP knows you're using a VPN, they can direct the police to them.
The police can find out your actual IP address if they want to or if they ask the VPN company to give it to them. However, they won't know who's been using the device. There have been a few cases where in the case of national security, VPN companies provided the police with logs of suspected child predators.
Instead of sending your emails using your own IP address, the VPN will assign you a different IP address thus meaning that the sender of the email cannot truly be identified. VPN providers also have brilliant security features and encryption to ensure that your email data remains untouched and private.
Police can obtain a warrant to search or access data stored on VPN servers just like any other private company. Depending on the location of the VPN, they may be compelled to comply with any data sharing requests issued.
Will Netflix Ban Me If I Use a VPN? While Netflix has a ban against VPNs and proxy servers, it's perfectly legal to use VPNs on Netflix; it just may not work. Netflix has specific licensing agreements with TV shows and movies, meaning that they're only allowed to offer them to certain audiences, divided by country.
Can we FaceTime from Dubai? No, you can't do FaceTime from Dubai because the application is illegal in the United Arab Emirates. If you want to use FaceTime in Dubai, you can access it with the help of a reputable VPN like NordVPN.
Conclusion. The ban on FaceTime in Dubai is due to the strict laws and regulations of the UAE. The government of the UAE has imposed a ban on the use of VoIP services such as FaceTime, Skype, WhatsApp, and Viber in order to protect the investments of local telecom companies.