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'Before you believe, verify': Dubai authorities warn of deepfakes, AI
UAE Cybersecurity Council has cautioned the public to be wary of deepfake videos, urging them to trust officials to verify any content attributed to public figures or national institutions
- PUBLISHED: Wed 25 Mar 2026, 12:52 PM
[Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog amid US-Israel-Iran war for the latest regional developments.]
Digital Dubai and the National Media Council (NMC) have once more reminded residents to verify videos and images on social media platforms before sharing them, warning them that not everything “you hear or see on social media platforms is real.”
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Published on social media, the video purported to show several senior figures in Dubai’s governmental entities sharing the same message. Though it appears as though they are speaking, the video flips through deepfakes of the officials delivering a unified warning.
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The figures that appear in the video are Omar Al Olama, the minister for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, Abdulla Alhamed, chairman of NMC, Lieutenant General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri of the General Directorate for Identity and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) Dubai, and Marwan bin Ghalita of Dubai Municipality, among other Dubai authority heads.
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“In the age of ai, you need to be aware,” the speaker of the video said. “Because not everything you see or hear is on social media platforms is real. Today, deepfake technologies can imitate anyone with many appearances, any voice, and in any language.”
Digital Dubai similarly released a video recently with Al Ameen Service highlighting the dangers of sharing AI-generated videos in times of war. This follows the regional escalations amid the Iran-Israel-US war, which saw a plethora of misinformation and disinformation in online spaces.
Crackdown on misinformation
Authorities have warned repeatedly that rumours and sharing videos of missile interceptions sites, AI-generated or not, threatens the state’s security, and is a jailable offence. Since the start of the war on February 28, the UAE arrested more than 180 people for violating cybercrime laws, according to Time magazine.
The UAE Cybersecurity Council, in an interview with state news agency Wam, noted how quickly deepfake technologies have developed and has cautioned the public to be wary of such videos, instead urging them to trust officials to verify any content attributed to public figures or national institutions.
Just last week, the authority, along with the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), warned of possible phishing attacks designed to obtain personal information from UAE PASS users or tricking them into approving unauthorized login requests.
Hind Aldah is a business reporter based in Sharjah. In her spare time, you will find her playing classical guitar, painting amateur oil paintings, or crocheting the same old scarf that leads nowhere.
