A woman in Abu Dhabi has been ordered to pay Dh50,000 ($13,600) in compensation after a court ruled she violated another woman’s privacy by posting her photograph on Instagram without permission.
The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Cases Court found that the defendant unlawfully used information technology to publish the image without the claimant’s consent and beyond what is permitted by law.
The claimant had filed a civil lawsuit seeking Dh100,000 in compensation for material and moral damages, citing psychological distress, reputational harm, and social embarrassment caused by the unauthorized publication. She also requested legal interest on the compensation and reimbursement of legal costs.
The civil case followed a criminal ruling in which the defendant was convicted, fined Dh50,000, ordered to delete the images immediately, and barred from using online networks for three months.
The court stated that the defendant’s actions caused proven moral harm by infringing on the claimant’s privacy and personal dignity. The judgment noted that posting the photo on social media subjected the claimant to psychological pain, social embarrassment, and a sense of personal violation, given how content can quickly spread online.
The court explained that non-material harm cannot be measured by a fixed financial standard but must consider the seriousness of the act, the extent of the damage, and the causal link between the wrongful act and the harm suffered.
It concluded that financial compensation was necessary to redress the harm, with Dh50,000 deemed a fair and proportionate amount based on the nature of the violation and confirmed moral damage resulting from the privacy breach.
