Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are legal for UAE citizens to use, but abuse of them "is the problem," according to the nation's cybersecurity head. According to the most recent version of Atlas VPN's Global VPN Adoption Index, the United Arab Emirates had the greatest VPN application downloads in 2023 out of the previous four years, exceeding the 6.09 million downloads during the epidemic year in 2020.
Using a VPN for illicit purposes, to commit a crime, or to conceal one's IP address to access websites, calling apps, or gaming apps that the UAE government restricts, is a serious offence, according to the UAE Decree Law No. (34) of 2021 on fighting false information and cybercrimes. Residents of the United Arab Emirates who break the law and abuse VPNs risk jail time and penalties ranging from Dh500,000 to Dh2 million.
According to Nord Security, citizens of the UAE and other Gulf countries frequently use VPNs to make audio-video conversations using well-known programmes like Facetime, WhatsApp, Skype, Discord, IMO, and dating apps. 6.1 million VPN applications were downloaded by UAE citizens last year, a 1.83 million increase over the previous year.
The VPN penetration rate was computed by dividing the total number of VPN downloads by the population of each nation. Sensor Tower and AppTweak services were used to retrieve the VPN download statistics from Google Play and the Apple App Store. Included in the download statistics are the 45 largest VPN providers.
