It’s no secret that Mark (and I) have an online presence and therefore we are a target of online harassment. It so easy for some people to sit behind a computer and put out their issues in negative comments. Mark (and I) believe in freedom of speech, and always let people say what they want on the blog or via email, just like Mark (and I) are enjoying our freedom of speech with our posts, we want the same for our readers. Unfortunately though Mark (and I) have both received unnecessary threats from a person or two.
What can you do if you face the same situation? What can you do if someone comments on your twitter “I want to beat the **** out of you”. People think that because they are behind a computer no one can find out who they are! It is as if they didn’t know that Kuwait has a Cyber Crime department under the Ministry of Interior, that is highly capable of finding out where the person is located, what device they are using and other information. (They once found a criminal on behalf of my client in Morocco).
If you are facing any type of online harassment you need to go to the said department located in Salmiya across from the new Boulevard Mall. You will fill out a paper, and you will need to show them the comment. They will gather all the information from you and start an investigation, within 10 days if the person that commented is in Kuwait he/she will be called in for an investigation.
What charges is the person going to face? There is a few different crimes that I could write in my brief to the court but the easiest would be in reference to Article 6 of Law 63 of 2015 famously dubbed as the “Cyber Crime Law” (it has a more complicated name) and I don’t want to complicate things as the law refers to another law, but the person could easily face a KD 3,000 to KD 10,000 fine.
Of course once the criminal court passes the final judgment, Mark could file a civil case and ask for compensation as well. Good thing though the law forgives those who apologize or notify authority before any serious damage is done. Be careful with what you say guys and remember to be nice to each other. We all have difficult situations in our life and sometimes its so easy to let out our frustration on someone else. But we really need to respect each other more. If you have gone through a similar situation email me, I would love to hear from you. Stay legal guys.
Feel free to email me [email protected] with any legal questions. I do not have the capacity to answer everyone for free (but I try), and I am happy to announce that I am currently working with a great team and therefore we are able to reply back to all emails with a reasonable time frame.
Post by Fajer Ahmed – Legal Counsel
The legal opinions expressed in this post are those of the author Fajer. Opinions expressed by Mark or any other writer on mark248am1.wpenginepowered.com are those of the individual’s and in no way reflect Fajer’s opinion.
32 replies on “Kuwait Law: Online Harassment”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4Ya4BTi01k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlwRUzawAXg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMZzKGwfKA0
https://i.imgur.com/F2VJUnz.png
just found out the Danish troll song was actually from a Danish Christmas show! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVJCgjyLJqE
Plz don’t sue me mark.
too late! I found you using https://trolltrace.com
This is quite honestly the dumbest law to ever get passed in this country. If someone receives “cyber harassment” they should just ignore/delete said comment and move on with life. I’ve also heard that if someone here in Kuwait harasses anyone outside of the country, they’re subject to said law but it wouldn’t work the other way around.
The only good thing this law could be used for is blackmailing or serious threats but when someone receives foul language that doesn’t justify getting the court involved IMO.
This isn’t about foul language so don’t belittle the issue. This is about online threats and harassment which is a serious subject and one which you’ve clearly never faced.
While I didn’t receive life-threatening message, I, like almost everyone else who’s been on the internet received some harassment. If it wasn’t about foul language, then what’s with the fuss about people suing each other left and right for 5001 KD over a simple “f*** you” commented on someone’s instagram page? I even read once about a group of people provoking Kuwaitis just so they get the perfect reaction and a reason to sue them for 5k. Again, I didn’t “deal” with this law as I never threatened anyone or got threatened to the point where I was fearful for my life. If I received the typical foul language that gets thrown around all the time in any platform I just shrug it off and go on with my life.
In a democratic society anyone can sue anyone for anything. That’s how things are and things go to court to get sorted.
But the subject Fajer is talking about is on the more serious online harassment and physical threats which people seem to make thinking they can because there are no consequences. I had some asshole for example threaten to beat me up over a post I didn’t even write. Like seriously wtf.
Hate speech? Threats to life? There’s a lot of shit people say on the internet thinking it’s safe because they’re totally anonymous so it’s nice knowing they can actually be held accountable for it
https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ
nobody rick rolls anymore…
You shouldn’t be afraid of these internet warriors ! They are probably weak people in real life , if they threaten you they feed their ego , just slap that 10,000 KD fine on their face and you get to be the one laughing ! Good luck !
The guy who wanted to in his words kick the shit out of me was a crossfit trainer and a few weight classes higher than me.
why would he want to do that? you are smug, but that’s no reason to harm someone!
whats crazy is it was over a post i didn’t even write!
Do you know that guy personally? how do you know he’s heavier than you?
Cuz he messaged me on Instagram and his account is public
Try Mixed Martial Arts, we destroy bullies!
even in mma you’ve got weight classes. I’m not going to fight a lean heavy weight or 205er.
Precision beats power,timing beats speed
hahahaha that might work if you’re conor
It (It’s) so easy for some people…
There is (are) a few different crimes….
I have a legal question for Fajer, or anyone who might know the answer.
If I am a Kuwaiti, and say I wrote a comment/tweet that is “illegal” under the cyber crime law to a Kuwaiti Individual, and I wrote said comment while I was out of the country. Will I get prosecuted for that?
Yes
But when I committed that “crime”, I was not under the jurisdiction of Kuwaiti law. It is like drinking alcohol in Dubai, and then being prosecuted when getting back to Kuwait. It doesn’t make any sense.
The only difference is no one is going to file a complaint against you because you are drinking, while if its a tweet theyll be waiting for you.
(They once found a criminal on behalf of my client in Morocco).
Is that the Moroccan blackmailing scam where they show you a video of a hooker and trick you into thinking it’s live, and then they capture a video of you jerking off and threaten you to expose it?
fajer did you present the graduation cermony ACK couple of months back??
What if someone presents his view on certain issues he faces in kuwait with the system here and the local citizens behaviour towards expats , which doesnt include any foul language or threats… Can someone still sue him for a personal opinion which few might hate to hear or accept?