“Dubai’s Paid Influencer Army is a Facade” – Stirling Calls for Upgraded Travel Warnings Amid Propaganda Push
Stirling says the influencers being trained are unlikely to mention that leaving a negative TripAdvisor review could land you in prison
Dubai’s launch of a government-funded Influencer Academy is being criticised as a desperate attempt to mask the country’s repressive legal system and human rights abuses behind a manufactured image of glamour and safety. The UAE’s plan to pay Western influencers to promote the country has been condemned by Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai and CEO of Due Process International, who warns that the campaign is built on censorship, state-controlled media and outright deception.
“Dubai’s marketing office offers lie upon lie. They tell the world it is safe for solo female travellers, that it is a modern, tolerant country, but behind the curtain is an authoritarian system where tourists can be jailed on a whim,” said Stirling. “This Influencer Academy is just the latest attempt to whitewash a regime that jails people for Facebook posts and punishes victims of crime.”
The UAE’s media is state-controlled, crime statistics are censored, and victims of abuse are often silenced through pay-offs or threats. Stirling says the influencers being trained are unlikely to mention that leaving a negative TripAdvisor review could land you in prison, or that false accusations and hearsay are enough to get someone detained and convicted.