JEDDAH: Sending an abusive message on WhatsApp or any such platform to anybody could leave you behind bars for a year and cost you a SR500,000 fine, according to Khalid Abu Rashid, lawyer, legal adviser and international arbitrator.

Abu Rashid told a website that it was a matter of great concern that people are not aware of the terminologies and their meanings, particularly when the rules against information technology crime talks about social media crimes as well as all other crimes committed on the Internet. He said that the laws govern everything related to the Internet, and at the same time, these laws do not mention names of specific programs.

He said if the system or law had mentioned names of specific programs then it would have been easy to relate crimes with the punishment. But this is not the case. Names of programs or platforms are not mentioned in the system or laws. Therefore, all programs used on the Internet, like Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp or whatever comes in the future, will be regulated by this law, he said.