After an Online Blackmail Case.. Egyptian Court Calls for Legislation Regulating AI-Related Crimes
An Egyptian court has called on lawmakers to expedite the drafting of new legislation regulating the use of artificial intelligence technologies and establishing a clear legal framework for prosecuting crimes committed through such technologies. The call follows an online blackmail case in which a woman was targeted by one of her relatives, ending with the defendant receiving a one-year prison sentence with the execution of the sentence suspended.
In July, the Seventh Circuit of the Damanhour Criminal Court issued the reasoning behind its ruling in the case, in which a student was convicted of blackmailing his relative by publishing fabricated content created using artificial intelligence technologies.
In its reasoning, the court stressed that technological advancements and AI programs were developed to serve scientific research, support knowledge, and keep pace with progress—not to violate individuals’ security or damage their honor and reputation. It considered the use of such technologies to threaten or blackmail citizens a crime that warrants legal accountability.
The court also addressed a direct message to Egypt’s House of Representatives, Senate, and lawmakers, urging them to swiftly enact legislation regulating the use of AI technologies and preventing their exploitation in violating privacy or committing blackmail, defamation, and other crimes against citizens.
Reduced Sentence and the Risks of Deepfakes
El-Sayed El-Mohamady, Executive Director of the General Office for Advocacy and Legal Consultations, explained that the one-year suspended sentence was issued due to the family relationship between the defendant and the victim, in addition to reconciliation efforts between the two parties, which contributed to reducing the penalty.
Speaking to a news website, he added that the court’s reasoning placed particular emphasis on the seriousness of crimes against personal honor committed through social media, especially those involving AI-generated fake images and videos, considering the use of such technologies evidence of premeditation.
He further noted that these crimes threaten not only individuals but also society as a whole, pointing out that experiences in Egypt in recent years have shown that online blackmail has driven some victims to suicide, making perpetrators responsible for extremely serious consequences.
Although Egyptian law already criminalizes cybercrimes and the use of manipulated images and videos—particularly under the Cybercrime Law issued in 2018—El-Mohamady believes that the rapid development of AI technologies, especially deepfake technology, necessitates updating the legislative framework, either by amending the current law or issuing a separate law dedicated to AI-related crimes.
Existing Penalties and the Need to Improve Evidence Procedures
For his part, Mohamed Alaa, legal advisor and CEO of the Arab Center for Law and Advocacy, said that Egypt’s Cybercrime Law already contains strict provisions addressing manipulated images and fabricated videos, regardless of whether they are produced using artificial intelligence or other digital tools.
In statements to a news outlet, he explained that Article 26 of the law, for example, criminalizes the creation of fake images or videos even if the forgery is obvious or poorly executed, with penalties reaching up to five years in prison or a fine.
He added that the offense does not lie in using the software itself but in exploiting a real person’s data or images and linking them to fabricated content that causes moral or material harm, such as placing someone’s face on another person’s body or falsely attributing actions to them.
He also noted that the law criminalizes AI-generated content when it is used in ways that violate public order, morality, or societal values. While he believes the current penalties are sufficient, he stressed that legal procedures for collecting evidence and proving such crimes still require significant development.
Commenting on the Damanhour Criminal Court’s call for dedicated AI legislation, Alaa explained that although current laws specify penalties, they do not provide legal procedures capable of keeping pace with rapid technological advances. He noted that forgery has become increasingly sophisticated in documents, images, and videos, requiring courts to have broader authority to rely on modern technological tools and specialized experts.
Engineer Ahmed Abdel Fattah, an expert in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, stated that the greatest danger posed by AI-related crimes lies in their ability to produce misleading content that convinces the public of events that never occurred or falsely attributes actions and crimes to innocent people.
He added that deepfake tools are no longer limited to specialists but are now available to virtually anyone with a smartphone and an internet connection, making the creation of fake images and videos remarkably easy.
He concluded by emphasizing that the rapid evolution of AI technologies presents new legislative and judicial challenges, making the introduction of dedicated AI legislation—as requested by the court—a necessary step to keep pace with these developments before AI-related cases become increasingly common in the years ahead.
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Author: Counselor Faisal Al-Mutairi
Publication Date: August 1, 2026
Last Updated: August 2026
