Dubai: The Community Development Authority (CDA), responsible for setting up and developing a framework for social development has denied news floating around in social media platforms about new communication regulations in the country.
In an email statement to Gulf News, CDA said, “The Community Development Authority (CDA) denies the message that was circulated on some social media platforms, stressing that it does not state any information related to other entities in the country. CDA calls on the public to be caution and not to publish or exchange unreliable information and refer to the responsible sources for obtaining the correct information to avoid accountability and violate applicable legislation.”
On March 31, the social media users went into a frenzy with a letter floating around that stated all calls will be recorded in UAE, phone call recordings saved, WhatsApp monitored, Twitter monitored, Facebook monitored. According to the letter, this was to take effect from April 1 2020.
The letter added: “Please note that simple precautions and planning can make a big difference. Your cooperation and swift action will help protect our community.
The letter did not carry a signature from any authority but just mentioned it is from the Licensing Department.
CDA has denied this and cautioned the public to not publish or exchange unreliable information.
Further, in a press statement, the Authority urged the community to not pay heed to rumours and fake news and rely only on information verified to have been issued by official sources. The Authority said the image of the logo of a government entity does not make a piece of information valid or official.
Reiterating that the information attributed to it was completely false, the Community Development Authority pointed out that the telecommunications sector is not part of its responsibilities and is managed by other departments.
The Authority also stressed that spreading false and miselading information, rumours and fake news is a crime under UAE Law. "Such malicious acts threaten the safety and stability of the community," said the statement.
Dubai Media Office also sent a strong note stating the same. In a tweet posted on March 31, the Dubai Media Office said that @CDA_Dubai denies the authenticity of a circular being shared on social media regarding "new communication regulations." These measures, specifically related to phone conversations and the use of platforms such as WhatsApp, Twitter & Facebook, are entirely fabricated.
