REASON: Tiktok influencer, Car Expert, gets arrested by police in Dubai, UAE, because his videos depict an unrealistic image of life as an Emirati in showroom video

Tiktok influencer, Car Expert, gets arrested by police in Dubai, UAE, because his videos depict an unrealistic image of life as an Emirati in showroom video

The Federal Prosecution for Combating Rumours and Electronic Crimes in the UAE has ordered the pretrial detention of a resident pending an investigation into a number of charges levelled against him.

The individual is accused of using the information network to spread sensationalist propaganda designed to stir public opinion and damage public interest. Furthermore, he was charged with disseminating content that fails to comply with media content standards and is offensive to UAE society.

The man, who hails from a country in Asia according to WAM, is filmed in traditional Emirati robes as he enters a luxury car showroom with two assistants carrying a large tray of cash.

Speaking English with a Gulf Arab accent, he asks for the highest-priced car and then rejects it, saying that at 2.2 million dirhams (nearly $600,000), it’s not expensive enough.

The video depicted the defendant being followed by two individuals carrying what appeared to be large sums of money. Engaging in dialogue with the car showroom owner, he requested to buy a car costing more than Dh2 million in a dismissive manner. He then proceeded to distribute financial packages to showroom workers in a way that demonstrated a lack of respect for and understanding of the value of money.

The UAE resident was accused of posting “propaganda that stirs up the public opinion and harms the public interest”, the state WAM news agency said on Sunday.

His detention, pending investigations, was ordered by the Federal Prosecution for Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes. He was also charged with publishing content that “insults the Emirati society”.

The Public Prosecution office also summoned the car showroom’s owner, and urged social media users to “consider societal characteristics and embedded values of the UAE society… so as to avoid falling under the force of the law”.

The UAE’s laws against spreading “rumours” and false information keep a tight rein on internet discourse in the oil-rich Gulf monarchy.