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Sheikh Mohammed Warns About The Dangers of Misusing Social Media

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Sheikh Mohammed Warns About The Dangers of Misusing Social Media

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His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai has addressed the dangers of misusing social media in his recent open letter to all nationals and residents living in Dubai, according to the Gulf News.

The English translation of the letter, posted to his Twitter account yesterday (@HHShkMohd), states “. . . messing around and stirring up chaos on social media waste achievements for which thousands of teams worked so hard to realize. The reputation of the UAE is a red line and not to be used by anyone who wants to get more followers.”

“We have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, which is concerned with managing our external affairs, speaking on our behalf and expressing our positions in relation to the UAE’s foreign policy.

“Amongst its core functions is also to maintain the country’s credibility with the countries and peoples of the world and its reputation built over the past 48 years.”

“We will not allow a group of Twitter users to mess with Zayed’s legacy of credibility, love and respect for people. The good image of the UAE and the Emirati must remain as bright as Zayed wanted and built.”

In addition to the above Sheikh Mohammed also encouraged government officials to work 

He concluded the open letter on a positive note, informing both nationals and residents that the UAE is fast-paced country that is ready for the future, looking ahead to greater and better things.

According to The National Sheikh Mohammed states “. . . we are the fastest growing country in a number of projects. More importantly, we are a country that has the courage to face facts, review and continually adjust strategies to quickly move ahead towards the future.”

The newspaper also states that Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, will be leading a committee to implement the directives discussed within the open letter. 

What does this letter mean for content creators and social media userss based in the UAE?

Any influencer or content created living and operating within the UAE needs to abide by National Media Council law, when conducting their activities as an “influencer.” For example, if an influencer is accepting compensation in exchange for a social media or blog posts, they need to be licensed.

(If you’re not familiar with the laws of influencer marketing and becoming a licensed influencer within the UAE, you can read all about them here.)

Social media users can also be held criminally liable for any slanderous or negative comments they share online in the UAE, and spreading misinformation is illegal. 

Bottom line: if you have a complaint regarding a business, service or product direct to a company or department and avoid sharing content or information that can’t be backed up with facts. 

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Gulf News and The National.