Consent Is Key: Saudi online star fined for filming couple without permission

A court in Saudi Arabia's Dammam took action against a local Snapchat celebrity who took videos of a couple without their permission, Okaz Newspaper reported on Tuesday. 

Now identified as Haya Al Ghammas، the influencer - who has millions of followers on Instagram and other social media platforms - was fined 20,000 Saudi riyals ($5,400) and had her Snapchat account suspended for a month. The court also confiscated the phone used to film the complainants. 

The ruling against the celeb is based on "public right laws" as she filmed the married couple having a meal in a public space without their consent. She is expected to face other punishments if the couple goes ahead with a personal right lawsuit. 

Prosecutors called on a judge to sentence Al Ghammas to a month in prison for violating the kingdom's cybercrime laws, though it remains unclear whether she would get jail time if found guilty of other charges. 

The star's legal trouble began when the couple filed a complaint against her at a police department located in Al Khobar. The complainants accused her of posting footage of them online without their consent. Al Ghammas was having dinner at a restaurant when she spotted the duo sitting on a nearby table and filmed them. 

"Girls, look there's a romantic situation going on here. Unfortunately, couldn't film them properly and they just left. Did you see the man's hair?" she can be heard ridiculing the couple in one of the videos.

In court, the online influencer admitted to posting the footage online "because she thought the couple looked romantic." She further explained that she didn't intend any harm. 

In the wake of her sentencing, Al Ghammas thanked those who supported her through her legal ordeal via Snapchat, adding that her lawyers would appeal all the sentences she received.

Naturally, news of the sentencing went viral on Saudi Twitter and left people with polarized opinions. 

"She filmed a family at a restaurant and is now upset and asking why they filed a lawsuit against her?"

"She films a man and his wife, then shares the video with over two million followers while ridiculing them and people still accuse the couple of wanting to gain money out of the case. 20,000 Saudi riyals is nothing, she should be fined 200,000 Saudi riyals so that people like her learn a lesson and stop violating people's privacy."

Under the kingdom's cybercrime laws, it is prohibited to take photos or videos of people without their consent and illegal to circulate such material online. The laws also ban snooping on people's phones as well as using profane language via messaging apps. 

In recent years, several people have been jailed for sending insulting WhatsApp texts to friends or relatives. Such cases include a court ruling that took place last year in which a woman who swore at her cousin via the messaging app was sentenced to 10 days in jail. Another case in 2017 saw the sentencing of two women to 10 lashes each after they insulted each other via WhatsApp.