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.
“The Saudi legal system recognizes electronic conversations as a means of evidence,” she said. “So, yes, a digital conversation may be evidence before Saudi courts, but it is not sufficient merely because it exists.”
According to Al-Sahli, judges rigorously examine digital material before admitting it into proceedings.
“The court looks at several factors,” she said. “Is the conversation authentic? Can it be attributed to the other party? Is it directly related to the subject of the lawsuit?”
She added that screenshots gain significant weight when they display a phone number or account, establish ownership, present the conversation in full context and directly relate to the dispute.
“If it is impossible to display the entire conversation in a single screenshot,” she said, “a video should be recorded starting from opening the conversation, scrolling through the sequence of messages and then opening the account or phone number information.”
She also advised preserving the original device whenever possible.
“The device itself may be presented before the court when necessary,” she said. “The evidence may also be referred to the competent security or technical authority to examine the conversations and verify that they match the screenshots.”
Drawing on her experience, Al-Sahli said she has handled cases where screenshots secured judgments in defamation and labor disputes. Conversely, she has seen fabricated conversations exposed through forensic examination, while other claims failed entirely because account ownership could not be established.
For Sara Al-Dosari, a victim of blackmail, screenshots became the foundation of a criminal case involving repeated threats.
“I never imagined that screenshots from my phone would one day become the only thing defending me,” she said. “The problem began with repeated threats and messages … I started taking screenshots of every message because I was afraid he would delete them.”
When she reported the case, she quickly discovered the images alone were insufficient.
“I was asked to provide the original conversations, prove the account or phone number and submit anything that connected the messages to the person himself,” she said.
When the accused denied owning the account, investigators examined the original conversations and supporting digital evidence to confirm their authenticity.
“The hardest part was not the case itself,” she said. “The hardest part was having to go back and read every message that had hurt you to prove that you were the victim.”
A Telegram conversation became the key piece of evidence in a blackmail case handled by lawyer Mohammed Al-Harthi.
“The screenshots were accepted under our Evidence Law because they are considered digital evidence,” he said. “The screenshots were submitted in printed form and the court also requested the original mobile phone containing the conversations.”
Although the suspect later deleted the messages and denied responsibility, investigators gathered cross-platform evidence from Instagram, verified the suspect’s identity and confronted him with the digital records.
“We live in a time when social media dominates our daily lives,” Al-Harthi said. “People with bad intentions exploit those with good intentions or those who are emotionally vulnerable.”
He added that he chose the case because of its severe psychological impact on the victim, warning that many victims of online blackmail are minors.
In employment disputes, screenshots typically serve as one component of a broader body of evidence.
For Youssef Al-Otaibi, a former employee, conversations documenting repeated promises to pay outstanding financial entitlements became central after his employment ended.
“The screenshots helped a great deal, but they were not the only evidence,” he said. “I submitted the contract, some bank transfers and email messages. Each piece of evidence completed the others until the full picture became clear.”
When the employer argued the messages had been taken out of context, the court reviewed the complete conversations alongside the remaining documents before reaching its decision.
“The most painful thing is not losing the money,” Al-Otaibi said, “but feeling that your right could have been lost if you had not kept a single message.”
Lawyer Shatha Al-Abdali said screenshots are increasingly vulnerable to legal challenges as AI tools grow more sophisticated.
“A screenshot is legally considered a photographic copy or secondary extract,” she said. “It is therefore not regarded as conclusive and independent evidence when the other party denies its authenticity.”
She added that WhatsApp conversations generally carry greater evidentiary weight because they are linked to verified phone numbers, whereas social media screenshots usually require additional corroboration.
“When the opposing party disputes the authenticity of a screenshot,” she said, “the court appoints specialists in digital forensic evidence.”
Those specialists examine the original device, review metadata and compare digital records with information from telecommunications providers to determine authenticity.
Law trainee Hala Abdulaziz recently handled a marriage annulment case where screenshots formed a key part of the evidence.
“The case involved a petition for annulment without compensation because of the husband’s abusive treatment and defamatory statements against my client,” she said.
When the husband denied sending the messages, the court contacted police to verify ownership of the phone number before proceeding. She added that under Article 58 of the Evidence Law, the burden of proving that digital evidence has been forged falls on the party making the allegation.
While lawyers focus on admissibility, cybersecurity specialists say the real challenge begins after a screenshot is submitted.
“A screenshot should no longer be treated as evidence in itself,” Ayman Al-Faraj, an assistant professor of cybersecurity, said. “It is only a representation of what appears on a device at a specific moment. The actual evidence is the original digital source, which investigators can examine through the device, application data and supporting digital records.”
As AI continues to reshape the legal landscape, Saudi courts are looking beyond the image file, placing rigorous emphasis on verifying the authenticity, ownership and integrity of the underlying data.
