July 29, 2021

Reputation Management in Abu Dhabi: What to do in case of a misleading post?

Our experienced legal advisors and Search Engine Optimisation specialists are experts in designing tailor-made strategies to conduct to a good place your concerts on Online Reputation Management in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. We have offices in the ADGM and the DIFC in Dubai for your convenience.


Suppose you are a victim of a defamatory or misleading campaign to undermine your image in the United Arab Emirates. In that case, we can provide you with many options to maintain the status of your good name.


Legal actions against defamation in Abu Dhabi


Unlike many jurisdictions, Abu Dhabi's legal system is advanced regarding online reputation damage disputes as the Emirate established in December 2020 the first Community Legal Awareness Centre, affiliated with the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. Among several responsibilities, the centre will monitor inappropriate online behaviour occurring in eSports, eGames, Social Media and other Internet Platforms.


Additionally, defaming an individual is considered a crime in the UAE according to the UAE Cyber Law and the UAE Penal Law. Article 372 of the Penal Law declares,

"Shall be sentenced to detention for a term not exceeding two years (...) whoever attributes to another, through a means of publicity, a fact that makes him object of punishment or contempt."


Article 20 of the Federal Decree-Law No 5 of 2012 on Combating Cyber Crimes states,

"Any owner or operator of a website or computer network can be held liable for deliberately and knowingly saving or making available any illicit content or failing to remove or block access to this illicit content...".


These laws are an advantage you have to consider while being a resident of Abu Dhabi or the UAE.


How these laws are an advantage in Abu Dhabi?


For example, recently, in Mexico, a person had to wait more than six years to be considered for a case against the local version of a search engine that had listed defamatory content of him. A business adversary maliciously connected him to money laundering on a big scale on a fake news blog.  While he was innocent, his name is still full of negative comments raising suspicions on the public opinion, business and KYC onboarding process.


In the European Union, the Right of Oblivion allows you to demand search engines to delist misleading content with your name. But it is required that the content had been published more than five years ago.


lecocqassociate's Online Reputation Management service in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates


Our company has offices in ADGM, Abu Dhabi, and DIFC, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and two offices in Europe, one in Malta and another in Geneva, Switzerland. Our online reputation management team comprises legal consultants and technical search engine optimisation professionals with vast experience in helping others online.


Contact us if you want to schedule a call to understand your case and advise you on possible next steps to improve your online reputation. We speak English, Spanish and French.