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UAE team works 24 hours to combat fake news, monitor suspicious content
The department also works with influencers to ensure that the right kind of information reaches the public
- PUBLISHED: Wed 15 Jan 2025, 9:45 PM UPDATED: Wed 15 Jan 2025, 10:05 PM
The Ministry of Interior in the UAE has a dedicated team to scour social media and combat fake news. The department also works with influencers to ensure that the right kind of information reaches the public.
This was revealed by Lt. Colonel Dr. Reem Sabah Qambar, deputy director of security at the media department at MoI at a panel discussion at a safety and security conference Intersec. “We have a dedicated team who works around the clock to make sure that they monitor suspicious content, analyse it, and then send a clear and direct message to the public to rectify false messages before it takes its momentum and goes viral,” she said.
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“We also work closely with respected influencers, who have a solid reputation and a broad spectrum of audience to educate people. We also create different media campaigns.”
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During the panel discussion, Lt. Col Dr. Reem also added that it was up to the general public to be responsible 'social media sleuths' and ensure the authenticity of messages before forwarding them. “There is a shared responsibility for the public to take information from reliable sources and share it with their friends and family. It's a two-way street.”
She gave the example of the rains last year as an example of how social media was used to reach the public. “The team worked tirelessly not only responding to emails and sharing media briefings but also responding to them directly,” she recalled. “Anyone who had an issue with their car and messaged us, we would immediately take the contact and then work with the civil defence and law enforcement people on the ground to locate them and move there. We were all basically working together.”
Global dialogue
Lieutenant Sultan Al Dahbashi, director of the permanent alliance development branch at the MoI detailed the role of the Secure Communities Forum, an initiative set up by the MoI to create global dialogue on community safety issues that impact everyone around the world.
“While tackling this on an international level, we at the SCF aim to gain the trust of communities,” he said. “To gain their trust, one of the most important things is to get rid of disinformation. If there is disinformation in one country, it can easily lead to another country.”
He added that the forum created a set of guidelines and created a national response model to tackle disinformation and extremism online.
Another speaker on the panel, Major Omar Mohammed Al Tunaiji, officer in the general command, future foresight department of Abu Dhabi police, highlighted several initiatives to reach out to the community. “The 'we are all police' initiative allows for all segments of the community to join us,” he said. “They help the law enforcement agencies and can work as a shadow to Abu Dhabi Police.”
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