Beware! Hefty fines imposed for negative review on google or social media

DUBAI: It is common these days to share a review about a product or service on Google and social media if we don't like it. Moreover, some seek the services of that firm only after checking such reviews. However, what if sharing the review like this lands you in legal trouble? The Arab media is releasing information that many cases have been registered in this regard in the UAE recently. In the UAE, such legal battles are waged as businesses are more cautious about protecting their reputations.

A woman in Dubai was found guilty of sharing an Instagram post defaming an institution last year. The case was triggered by a video shared by the woman about a hospital. In a video shared on Instagram, the woman said that the service of that hospital in Dubai is the worst and the doctors there did not know their job. Following the incident, a case was registered under the Cyber Crime Act. After conducting an investigation, she was fined and asked to delete the video.

A similar incident happened in 2020. A woman was convicted by the public prosecution for making defamatory comments about a medical center on Google and Instagram. The woman alleged that the hospital provided worst service you can imagine and that all the positive reviews on Google were fake.

The court fined the woman 5,000 dirhams (Rs 1,13,693) after a case was registered and an investigation was started. The woman's social media accounts were later closed. On appeal, the court upheld the charge, holding that the language used in the incident amounted to defamation. In the context of the incident, the authorities have made it clear that expatriates should be cautious. If you share defamatory remarks against an organization on social media, chances of getting into legal trouble are high.