How Oman’s Cybercrime Law Safeguards Private and Family Life
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- Oman's new Cybercrime Law, issued under Royal Decree 61/2026, introduces strict provisions against online privacy violations.
- The law prohibits eavesdropping, recording, and disclosing private communications, as well as sharing images or data with intent to harm.
- Specific protections are extended to children under 15 and domestic workers, with penalties including imprisonment and fines.
Oman has enacted a new Cybercrime Law, detailed under Royal Decree 61/2026, to bolster the protection of private and family life against online intrusions. The legislation specifically targets conduct committed through digital means that violates the sanctity of personal or familial privacy.
the law prohibits eavesdropping, intercepting, recording, transferring, transmitting, or disclosing conversations, communications, or audio or video materials, and also forbids taking, transmitting, revealing, copying, or retaining photographs or video footage of others.
Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Al Zadjali, Chairman of Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm, explained that the law strictly prohibits a range of activities. These include eavesdropping, intercepting, recording, transferring, transmitting, or disclosing conversations and communications. It also forbids capturing, transmitting, revealing, copying, or retaining photographs or video footage of individuals without consent.
The law extends its reach to online publications, making it an offense to publish news, images, photographs, audio or video clips, comments, data, or information with the intent to harm another person, even if the information is true. Furthermore, it criminalizes the taking, transmitting, or publishing of images of injured individuals, the deceased, or victims of accidents and disasters without proper authorization.
These protections extend to online publications, making it an offence to publish news, electronic images, photographs, audio or video clips, comments, data, or information, even if true and accurate, with the intention of harming another person.
Special protections are afforded to children under 15 and domestic workers, with severe penalties for their exploitation in negative media content or the promotion of violence against them. Violations of these provisions can lead to imprisonment ranging from three months to three years and fines from OMR 1,000 to OMR 5,000, or both.
Privacy safeguards further cover geographical location data, as tracking, monitoring, disclosing, transmitting, revealing, copying, or retaining another person’s location done with the intention of violating the sanctity of their private or family life is a punishable act.
Dr. Al Zadjali emphasized that these measures underscore Oman's commitment to safeguarding individual privacy, honor, and dignity in the digital age, strengthening the legal framework against cyber violations.
Special protection is given to children under 15 and domestic workers by prohibiting their exploitation as negative media content, or the publication of material promoting violence or excessive terror directed at children.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Times of Oman. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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