Amid the ongoing crackdown on dissent in Saudi Arabia, the kingdom recently announced that it will be taking action against anyone who publishes "online satire that disrupts public order".

Violators will receive a sentence of up to five years in prison alongside a hefty fine, the public prosecutor said in a statement on Twitter.

"Producing and distributing content that ridicules, mocks, provokes and disrupts public order, religious values, and public morals through social media ... will be considered a cybercrime punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of three million riyals ($800,000)," the public prosecution wrote in a tweet.

The arrest of Saudi writer, activist, and blogger Raif Badawi is a case in point. A campaign - led by his wife and human rights activist Ensaf Haidar - has been fighting to #FreeRaif since he was arrested six years ago.

In 2012, Raif Badawi was arrested on a number of charges, including insulting Islam and apostasy. 

Furthermore, a number of people in Saudi Arabia have been convicted after videos of them committing acts that are deemed unlawful in the ultra-conservative kingdom went viral online.

In 2017, Saudi singer Abdallah Al Shaharani was arrested after a video of him dabbing at a musical contest went viral. In the footage, the aspiring artist was seen pulling off the dance move, which is officially prohibited by the country's anti-drug authority.

In 2017, Saudi authorities called on its citizens to report any suspicious "terrorist activity" they stumble upon on social media. 

"When you notice any account on social networks publishing terrorist or extremist ideas, please report it immediately via the application "#We're_all_security", the interior ministry wrote in a tweet at the time.

The kingdom has drawn heavy criticism following its crackdown on activists earlier this year.

In May, Saudi Arabia arrested a number of people for "actions against the state" and "suspicious communication with foreign entities". 

At least 15 prominent women's rights activists have been detained since May. Women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul, who was held in jail for more than 70 days back in 2014 after attempting to drive from the United Arab Emirates into Saudi Arabia, was among those arrested in the crackdown.

The activist's lawyer, Ibrahim al-Modimeegh, who formerly served as an adviser to the Saudi cabinet, was also arrested.

A doctor based in Saudi Arabia recently filed a lawsuit against a WhatsApp group admin because he added him to an "annoying" group on the messaging app, Okaz newspaper reported. 

Speaking to the local newspaper, the complainant said he decided to go ahead with the case because he was added to the group without his consent. 

It all started after the man came back from a trip to Hajj (pilgrimage) and noticed he was added to the online group.

The man then decided to track what was being sent through the messaging app group for an entire day.

"I didn't respond with anything and kept looking at these useless messages being sent. Silly videos, fake news and rumors," he said. 

Speaking to Okaz, Saudi lawyer Khaled Abou Rashed explained that courts in the kingdom do look into similar cases and can often accept them depending on their nature. 

However, he also noted that this doesn't mean the doctor will win the case he filed and can even have it dismissed altogether. 

"If he doesn't prove he suffered anything negative because he was added to the WhatsApp group, a judge might dismiss the case," he added. 

"A sick doctor."