Act punishable by jail term, SR500,000 fine, says lawyer.
Spying on a spouse’s phone can land one in prison, a Saudi lawyer has warned.
A Saudi lawyer has warned that a wife searching her husband’s phone without his permission commits an illegal act that is punishable by imprisonment and a hefty fine.
Lawyer Reem Ibrahim said that if a woman secretively searches her husband’s phone, her act is considered eavesdropping and a violation of law.
The female lawyer added in a video that in such a case, the husband has the right to legally pursue the wife.
If convicted, the wife can face up to a year in prison and a maximum fine of SR500,000, or one of these two penalties under the anti-cybercrime law, according to lawyer Reem.
However, another legal expert said it is difficult to judge the relationship between spouses as simply right or wrong.
Legal advisor Mohammed Al Wahaibi argued that if the wife knows the PIN number of the husband’s phone, then her access to the phone is legal and not a crime, even if it is for the purpose of searching.
He added in remarks to Saudia TV that if she discovers a crime in the phone in the form of video clips or pictures, she has the right to prove it as one of her rights before the court as she has switched on the mobile legally.
“The situation is like when you give someone the key to your house. That person opens the door and enters the house. In this case, can you claim he has violated the privacy of your house?” he asked.
Still, Al Wahaibi said that if the wife obtained the PIN number by spying, her spouse has to prove it, and the act then constitutes a crime against the wife.
