Amid escalating West Asia tensions, authorities in the United Arab Emirates have detained 35 individuals—including 19 Indian nationals—for circulating 'misleading and fabricated' social media content. The crackdown targets the spread of AI-generated videos of explosions and unauthorised footage of military interceptions, which officials say undermine national security.
UAE authorities had issued repeated warnings to residents, prohibiting the filming of incident sites, the sharing of interception footage, or the circulation of unverified information on digital platforms.
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UAE Attorney General Dr Hamad Saif Al Shamsi has ordered the arrest of 25 individuals of various nationalities, directing that they face an expedited trial for spreading misleading content.
The action followed strict monitoring of digital platforms aimed at stopping the spread of fabricated information and artificial content intended to provoke public disorder.
The electronic monitoring and investigations revealed that the defendants were divided into three groups that committed various acts. "These included the publication of real clips related to current events, the fabrication of clips using AI, and the promotion of a state practising acts of military aggression while glorifying its leadership," it added.
The three categories of violations:
1. Clips of missiles passing through the airspace
2. AI-generated 'fabricated' material
3. Praising 'hostile' state
The accused are charged with sections that could lead to imprisonment for at least one year and a fine of no less than AED 1,00,000, the report said.
"Such events have been exploited to disseminate misinformation intended to deliberately mislead the public while undermining national security, order and stability," he said.