Hacking, fraud of all types, threats and blackmail, sexual exploitation of children, and rumor-mongering are also considered cybercrimes.

A Gulf national was detained by Ministry of Interior (MoI) officials for using social media to blackmail individuals, Qatari authorities announced.

The young man posted immoral content on a social media platform, the ministry statement said, confirming he has now been referred to prosecution.

Authorities regularly urge the public to report crimes since digital evidence is easy target to manipulation. Direct notification of the crime must be given to the department responsible for combating economic and cybercrime via email, phone, Metrash2, or any other means.

Blackmailing has a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a maximum fine of QAR 100,000, or both.

According to Qatari law, a cybercrime is any conduct that involves the improper use of information technology or the internet in contravention of the law. Hacking, fraud of all types, threats and blackmail, sexual exploitation of children, and rumor-mongering are some of the cybercrimes recognised by Qatar.

In 2014, the Qatari government issued a cybercrime prevention law in an effort to combat online and cyber crimes.

Along with creating the actual content, it is also a crime under Qatari law to incite, aid and facilitate the publication of offensive material.

The law also requires telecommunications providers – Ooredoo and Vodafone – to comply with all prosecutorial requests for evidence.