Desk research against primary sources. Figures are traced to the issuing UAE authority and linked on the page.
The Cybercrime Law treats a WhatsApp message or text the same way it treats a public social media post, which is the part people do not expect — there is no lesser category for something sent privately to one person, and a screenshot forwarded on by the recipient is standard evidence in these cases. Deleting the message afterwards does not remove a screenshot the other party already took.
The AED 250,000–500,000 fine range for online abuse applies whether the abuse was a written insult or a gesture captured on someone’s dashcam or phone, and road rage incidents specifically have produced prosecutions from gestures alone, without any accompanying words. Treat any message, comment, or gesture aimed at another person with the same restraint you would use face to face with an official present, since the online and offline standards are effectively identical here.