From November to March of the next year is the peak season for tourism in Dubai and so many people will go on business or a trip to Dubai. When they enjoy the beautiful scenery in Dubai, they also want to share with their families and friends about what they’ve seen and experienced in Dubai. At this time, a VPN is needed to use social media apps that are blocked in Dubai. Therefore, a lot of them are concerned about whether it is illegal to use a VPN in Dubai.
Is it illegal to use a VPN in UAE?
There have been many reports online that VPNs are banned in UAE and users who are caught using VPNs will be fined. This clause was enacted early but has now been changed. In the past, it was illegal for everyone to use a VPN. Nowadays, VPN uses are only illegal for those who mask their IP addresses to commit telecom fraud or other crimes that are prohibited by the UAE law. And the minimum fine was raised from Dh150,000 to 500,000.
Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, the Director General of the UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), told the gulf news that the UAE government supported the development of intelligent industry. And the UAE government was willing to realize intelligent transformation in promoting investment, improving competitiveness and focusing on the construction of knowledge-based economy and society. In addition, it was actively promoting the construction of intelligent government, smart cities, big data and the Internet of things. But with the introduction of some policies and regulations, there have been many false reports on social media about the Internet environment in UAE. In response to this situation, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and legal experts made their own analysis and clarification.
Virtual private networks are already widely used in UAE. Most Internet users choose to use VPNs when connecting to WiFi hotspots in public to secure their private data. Government departments also defend themselves against cyber attacks with VPN services. In addition, the vast majority of organizations build virtual private networks so that their employees can remotely the company’s internal resources. Nicolai Solling, the Director of Technology Services for Help AG, also said that individuals or organizations that use VPNs to commit a crime or attempt to mask a crime are considered to be breaking the law.
To sum up, you won’t get caught in UAE for breaking the law as long as you only use a VPN to surf the Internet safely.
Note:
The correct interpretation of the policy is a basic skill for working, traveling and studying abroad. So when you use a VPN in the UAE, you’d better not to do the following things that will get you into legal issues.
1. Gamble or visit gambling websites
2. Steal other people’s information
3. Other cyber crimes that are banned by the UAE government
Most people choose to visit domestic websites or chat with families or friends when they are homesick. Since accessing unlicensed VoIP services such as Skype, Whatsapp and Viber are technically illegal in UAE, you should be careful when using a VPN to enjoy these services.
How to find the best VPN for UAE?
High-quality protection
The protection offered by a VPN is the most significant factor to consider when you try to find the best VPN for UAE. Because it determines whether it can be trusted to protect your browsing activity from the ISP, government and hackers. The VPN should use advanced encryption technology. AES-256 encryption, commonly used by VPNs as well as many governments, is currently the best method of encryption. In addition, the VPN protocol it provides is important. It would be better if there are other premium features such as DNS leak protection, Kill Switch and so on.
Free trials
We take this into consideration because the UAE government blocks VPNs. If you subscribe to a VPN and find it doesn’t work in UAE the next day, you will be very upset. And you can’t get your money back if the VPN offers money-back guarantees. With free trials, users are able to know more details about the VPN, including the ability to unblock Netflix, Hulu or other popular websites, torrent speed and so on. A VPN that provides free trials is a good choice for those who only travel in UAE for a couple of days. RitaVPN is strongly recommended for you to use in UAE. Try it and you will be impressed by it.
No traffic log
When you use a VPN to secure your private data and hide your IP address, you don’t want others to know what you are doing online. However, the VPN you are using may record your browsing history. Thus, you should choose a VPN that guarantees no traffic log. Then, you can keep your online activity only to yourself.
