Dubai: Major Yasser Jumaa Mohammed, Head of the Social Media Crimes Section at the Cyber Crimes Department of the General Department of Criminal Investigation in Dubai Police, revealed the arrest of a group of people who deliberately wrote negative and incorrect comments on the Google Maps application within the evaluation section of a company, with the aim of exposing it to losses and damaging its reputation.
During an episode of the Dubai Police Podcast programme, organised by the Security Media Department in the General Department of Community Happiness at Dubai Police, entitled ‘A word could turn into a case... be careful’, he explained that the arrest of those involved came after a complaint was filed by the company's management with Dubai Police.
Investigations revealed that some businesses had created groups among themselves to access the Google Maps application and write false comments about the company.
Major Mohammed addressed this issue in the context of his discussion about the impact of negative comments on society and the deliberate writing of them against others in violation of the law, stressing that there are always limits to expressing opinions and that comments should not be exploited to harm people and their interests.
Spreading rumours
In the episode, Major Mohammed emphasises that "spreading and republishing rumours" is subject to legal accountability, calling on all social media users to obtain news from its primary source, from official bodies and from trusted individuals.
He explained that cybercrimes are widespread issues around the world, not just in the UAE, noting that "cybercrimes are defined as: any illegal act on social media, whether it is insults, threats, spreading rumours, electronic fraud, hacking social media sites, etc."
Filming without permission
He explained that if a person photographs another person without their permission or authorisation, they are subject to legal accountability if the latter files a criminal complaint. As for photography during times of crisis and emergency, the person must follow the instructions issued by the official authorities and not publish private photos and videos that may lead to the spread of rumours and disturb the security of society.
Tasks of the Social Media Crimes Department
During the podcast episode, Major Mohammed highlights the tasks of the Social Media Crimes Department in Dubai Police in monitoring digital crimes, and also sheds light on the reasons that prompted the UAE legislator to increase the penalty for cyber crimes compared to real crimes.
Major Mohammed urges the public and social media users to be digitally literate, to refrain from spreading rumours, or information and videos that they are not sure are true, and to adhere to all instructions issued by official authorities, especially during times of crisis, as well as to protect their social media accounts so that they do not fall victim to fraud.
He explained that members of the community who wish to learn more about awareness methods and modern fraudulent techniques can visit the Dubai Police's awareness platform e-Crime Hub, which provides important information and guidance to promote security culture.