ALKHOBAR: A screenshot can capture a threat, a promise, or even a confession in a single image. For many, pressing the power and volume buttons is the first instinct when a dispute begins. However, as artificial intelligence makes it easier to manipulate images and fabricate conversations, the question facing Saudi courts is no longer whether a screenshot exists, but whether it can be trusted.
As personal, financial, and professional interactions increasingly move to messaging applications and social media, digital conversations have become central to disputes ranging from blackmail and labor claims to family cases. While Saudi Arabia’s Evidence Law recognizes digital evidence, four Saudi legal experts interviewed by Arab News said screenshots rarely stand alone, with courts focusing heavily on verifying authenticity, ownership and context.
Under Articles 53, 54, and 55 of the Evidence Law, digital evidence includes data created, transmitted, stored or communicated electronically. Digital correspondence, communications and media carry the same evidentiary value as written documents when legal requirements are satisfied.
However, lawyer Mashael Al-Sahli said that believing a simple screenshot guarantees proof remains a major misconception.
