Saudi Arabia: Sending heart emoji can result in fine of Rs 20 lakh & five yrs in prison

ding to slew of bizarre nature of punishment being imposed by Arabian kingdom, sending red heart emojis to someone on WhatsApp has now become a punishable offence in Saudi Arabia. A cybercrime specialist warned that if someone sends a red heart on WhatsApp to anyone, it can result in ir detention, reported Okaz Newspaper. specialist stated that if sender is proven guilty, he/she can face a sentence of two to five years in prison and a fine of SR100,000, which is roughly Rs 20 lakh.

Al Moataz Kutbi, who is a member of Saudi Arabian Anti-Fraud Association, said in a statement that sending "red hearts" on WhatsApp is harassment and that use of some images and expressions during online chats may turn into a crime of harassment if a lawsuit is filed by injured party, according to Gulf News. He also warned app users against using explicit phrases or red heart emojis or even coming into a chat with someone without ir permission or engaging in uncomfortable or unwanted talks.

sender will be held liable

Kutbi furr stated that harassment is defined by anti-harassment system as any statement, act, or gesture with a sexual connotation me by a person towards anor that touches his or her body, or infringes on his or her modesty by any means, including modern technology. He also said that this includes emojis which has sexual overtones, such as red hearts and red roses.

He also noted that if issue is reported to authorities and charge against perpetrator is proven, sender will be held liable for such abuses. In this situation, sender will face a fine of not more than SR100,000 and/or a two-year jail sentence, with fine increasing to SR300,000, which is around Rs 60 lakh and five years in prison if offence is repeated.

Similar rules imposed by Saudi Arabia

Notably, this is not first time Saudi has announced such rules. Last year in November it was reported that in Saudi Arabia, removing someone from a WhatsApp group can result in arrest of person with a fine of SR500,000, which is approx 1 crore Rs, according to Gulf News.

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