The new law, which is part of the Saudi Anti-Cybercrime Law declares spying on a spouse’s phone illegal and could land the offender in jail.

The punishment would be given to a man or a woman only when they have been caught spying at each other through a mobile phone. The law under the Article No.3 states that ‘the punishment ranges from imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year, and a fine of not more than SAR500,000 or either one of these penalties,’ Khaleej Times reported.

According to Gulf News, more severe punishments have been set for ‘unlawful access to computers with the intention to delete, destroy, leak, damage, alter or redistribute private data.’

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The law which came in last week is considered a significant move by Saudi officials as rapid growth of social media has led to rapid increase in cybercrimes like defamation, account hacking and embezzlement. This move is expected to protect privacy and morals of society.

Since the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman came to power last year, Saudi Arabia has launch a string of policy changes in the country.