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UAE allows VPNs but warns against misuse

 The UAE’s cybersecurity chief said residents can use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) as long as they do not use them for illegal purposes, such as committing crimes or accessing blocked websites.

Muhammad Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity at UAE Government, told Khaleej Times that VPNs are not banned in the country, but their misuse “is the problem”.


“We have no problem with people using VPNs, but using it for bad things is the problem,” he said on the sidelines of G[P]RC Summit, a global event on governance, risk and compliance.


He said the UAE has a strict law against cybercrimes, which includes the use of VPNs to hide the IP address or access websites, calling applications or gaming applications that are blocked by the government.


According to the UAE Decree Law No (34) of 2021 concerning combating rumours and cybercrimes, anyone who violates the law and misuses VPNs could face imprisonment and fines ranging from Dh500,000 to Dh2 million.


Al Kuwaiti said the law aims to protect the national security and the privacy of the users, as well as to prevent cyberattacks and online fraud.


He said the UAE recorded the highest VPN application downloads in 2023 in the past four years, surpassing the pandemic year’s downloads of 6.09 million in 2020, according to the latest update of the Global VPN Adoption Index by Atlas VPN.


He said the usage of VPN is common among the UAE and other Gulf residents to make audio-video calls through popular apps such as WhatsApp, Skype, Facetime, Discord, IMO, and dating apps.


He said the VPN penetration rate was calculated by summing up VPN downloads by country and dividing them by the country’s population. The VPN download data was extracted from Google Play and Apple App Store using Sensor Tower and AppTweak services. Download data includes the 45 biggest VPN providers.


He also said that the UAE is a leader in using artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance its cybersecurity capabilities and to achieve its centennial goal of becoming an AI nation by 2071.


He said the risks in the cybersecurity domains are increasing, and AI has added to that complexity. “We had so many ransomware who used AI to craft their phishing emails or create and verify their codes to infiltrate,” he said.


He said the UAE uses AI to detect and proactively respond to many threats, and thanked its partners for ensuring the safety and security of the infrastructure.


He said the UAE is known for making flexible and suitable policies that allow businesses to prosper and succeed in this agile world.

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Location: United Arab Emirates

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