This page is general awareness material based on published text only, from the Anti-Cyber Crime Law, covering cyber-extortion, online defamation and slander, account hacking and data leakage, and the official reporting channels. The content here does not assess the penalty for any specific incident, and does not include a defense strategy or a prediction of any case outcome: the Law sets a range for the penalty, and the final legal characterization depends on the facts of each case and the competent authority.
Cyber-extortion on social media and through technology
Where a person unlawfully accesses a system to threaten or extort another person into an act or omission — even where that act or omission would otherwise be lawful — the Anti-Cyber Crime Law sets a published penalty range of up to one year imprisonment and a fine of up to SAR 500,000, or either penalty. This is a published range only; whether it applies to a specific incident is for the competent authority to determine after examining the facts and evidence.
Defamation and violation of private life through technology
The Law sets the same range — up to one year imprisonment and a fine of up to SAR 500,000, or either penalty — for conduct such as misuse of camera-equipped phones or similar devices in a way that violates another person's private life, as well as defaming others and causing them harm through information technology means, including social media platforms and digital messages.
Slander and insults on social media: when does the range widen?
Where insults, slander, or abuse occur on a digital platform, the safe statutory framing links the incident to the provisions above: defamation and harm to others, or violation of private life, within a range of up to one year imprisonment and a SAR 500,000 fine, or either penalty.
Where the published content matches the more serious descriptions in Article 6 of the Law — such as producing, sending, or storing material that would affect public order, religious values, public morals, or the sanctity of private life — the published range may extend to up to five years imprisonment and a fine of up to SAR 3,000,000, or either penalty. Which of these two ranges applies to a specific incident depends on the content, the context, the method of publication, and the legal characterization made by the competent authority — not on the type of insult alone.
Hacking accounts and data leakage
The Anti-Cyber Crime Law sets a penalty reaching up to four years imprisonment and a fine of up to SAR 3,000,000, or either penalty, for anyone who unlawfully accesses a system with intent to cancel, delete, destroy, leak, damage, alter, or republish private data belonging to another person.
The Law also allows — depending on the circumstances it specifies — confiscation of the devices, software, or means used to commit the offense, and closure of the website or service outlet where it was the source of the crime.
How do you report cybercrime?
The Kollona Amn platform is an official channel that allows citizens and residents to submit security and criminal reports. Its published report categories include violation of private life, threats, impersonation, extortion, hacking of social media accounts, defamation, and fraud.
The published reporting steps through Kollona Amn are: open the app, choose the cybercrime report category, select the relevant subcategory, add a description and any available attachments, then submit the report.
Where an incident also involves financial fraud — such as using a hacked account to request money transfers from others — a separate channel exists through Absher under Public Security services, named financial fraud reports. The published steps are: open Absher, then My Services, then Public Security, then financial fraud reports, then fill in the fields and submit the report.
| # | Step | | --- | --- | | 1 | Open the Kollona Amn app or the Absher platform depending on the type of report. | | 2 | Choose the relevant report category, such as cybercrime or financial fraud. | | 3 | Add the description and any available attachments (screenshots, links, relevant messages), then submit. | | 4 | Use the emergency numbers where there is urgent danger or a need for immediate intervention. |
Emergency reporting numbers
For urgent situations requiring immediate security intervention, the Ministry of Interior publishes security reporting numbers, including 911 in the Makkah, Riyadh, and Eastern regions, and 999 in the rest of the Kingdom for security patrols. These numbers do not replace filing a detailed official report through Kollona Amn or Absher for non-urgent matters.
When do you need a licensed lawyer?
This page is general awareness information based on published text only. It does not assess the penalty for a specific incident, and it does not include a defense strategy or a prediction of any case outcome. The Law sets a range for the penalty, and the final legal characterization depends on the facts of each case and the competent authority overseeing it. Engaging a licensed lawyer becomes a practical need where there is an active report, summons, arrest, investigation, or charge involving conduct of this kind, to understand the rights and procedures applicable to the situation. The content here does not assess any specific case, and does not replace consulting a licensed lawyer.