Legal Safety Rules — Issue 3 -- Before You Share That Image

“Please share.”
“Everyone should see this.”
“This is happening right now.”

Within minutes, the message travels across dozens of WhatsApp groups and social media platforms.
Hundreds of people see it.
Then thousands.

And most of them never stop to ask one simple question:
Is this actually true?

Over the years, many widely circulated posts have later turned out to be very different from what people believed.
A video from another country.
A photo taken years ago.
An image edited or shared out of context.

But by the time the truth appears, the information has already travelled everywhere.

In the digital world, information spreads instantly.
Responsibility does not.

What many people do not realise is that sharing certain types of content can create legal consequences.
In several jurisdictions — including the UAE — laws address situations such as:

• spreading false information
• publishing unverified content that may cause harm
• violating privacy
• sharing sensitive images or videos without permission

In the UAE, these are not theoretical risks.
The law provides for serious consequences in cases involving misuse of information or violation of privacy.

Depending on the situation, penalties may include fines ranging from AED 150,000 up to AED 500,000, and in some cases, imprisonment.

What surprises many people is that legal responsibility may arise even when there was no intention to cause harm — only a failure to verify before sharing.

The law does not always ask what you intended.
It asks something much simpler:
Did you verify before sharing?

Because in the digital age, a single click can transform a private message into public exposure within seconds.
A forwarded message can reach hundreds of people.
A shared video can reach thousands.

And sometimes, the person who shares it becomes part of the problem — even if their intention was simply to inform others.

Legal awareness today includes a very simple habit.
Pause.
Ask one question:
Where did this come from?

Because sometimes the most responsible action is not sharing at all.

Because in moments of uncertainty, information is not just power.
It is also responsibility.

Legal Safety Rule

Before sharing information, pause long enough to verify it.
Because not everything that spreads quickly is true.

Taghreed Abu Shehadah
Legal & Business Support Advisory Specialist

Legal Safety Rules is shared for educational awareness purposes only and does not constitute legal advice for any specific case.

This article is part of my Legal Safety Rules series — where I share real-life situations that may carry legal consequences people often overlook.

If this resonated with you, you can explore the full series here:
👉 https://muhami.ae/partnerships/new-chapter-advisory/