Dubai: UAE’s TRA concerned over hoax message of fine on VPN usage

Abu Dhabi: A recent hoax message asking the UAE residents to reach the nearest Police Station and pay a fine of Dh 5,000 for illegally using Virtual Private Networks(VPN) has concerned the UAE’s Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) wh are now making efforts to trace the origin of the hoax message and the person responsible for doing it.

Reacting to the hoax message, the TRA urged its residents to stop circulating the hoax message and instead contacts the authorities for an official clarification.

The residents took to Twitter to post the hoax message which drew the attention of the authorities.

TRA in another tweet today warned people against spreading rumours or misinformation online about the hoax message.

TRA has also clarified that using VPN is allowed only if it is for legal purposes for both businesses and regular consumers and illegal use is a punishable crime as per the cybercrime law.

But the permit comes with its own terms and conditions which should be read very carefully, Khaleej Times reported.