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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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Social media influencers in Dubai have been warned they could be jailed for posting content about the conflict with Iran, which has spilled over into the wider Middle East region.
Tehran has responded to the U.S.-Israeli Operation Epic Fury with strikes across the region, including in the United Arab Emirates’ biggest city, with debris from an intercepted missile hitting the Fairmont Dubai Hotel on the renowned Palm Jumeirah.
There have also been reports of shrapnel damage at the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel, the Port of Jebel Ali and other sites, threatening the image of the city as a peaceful haven for tourists, entrepreneurs and influencers.
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Amid tension over Iran's strikes across the region, the UAE has told Dubai’s community of influencers that any material considered to be harmful to the reputation of the state could lead to fines of up to $77,000 or imprisonment, British news outlet The Telegraph reported.
The UAE Media Council last year enforced licensing for social media influencers, further strengthening government oversight of what they do. Following Iran's retaliatory strikes, the UAE said that "spreading rumors or unverified information in the UAE is a crime punishable by law."
Passengers stranded on cruise ships off the coast of Dubai were informed not to talk about the conflict, according to the paper, which cited one passenger, Jan Arnott as saying, “we were told not to discuss the situation on board."
One influencer with a large Instagram following told The Telegraph she had deleted a video showing debris burning outside her apartment because social media users had to be cautious about how they portray the city. She said social media users “have to be very careful about what they say”.
Radha Stirling, the chief executive of campaign group Detained In Dubai, told the outlet that the UAE’s cybercrime laws are some of the harshest in the world when it comes to social media and that "almost anything critical of government policy or regional conflict can be interpreted as a crime." Detained in Dubai has said that people have previously been arrested or fined over content posted on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The development comes as authorities in Dubai and PR firms have been highlighting the effectiveness of the UAE's air defense systems against Iranian attacks. The UAE says it destroyed nearly all of the 165 ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles and 541 drones that Iran has fired at it.
There has also been a video trend among Dubai influencers that has gone viral showing a caption that says “you live in Dubai, aren't you scared?", followed by "no, because I know who protects us." Next to the message are images of the Emir of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and other Emirati political leaders.
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