The informant in your pocket: How the UAE is crowdsourcing digital repression

Read in Arabic / للقراءة بالعربية

Framing state surveillance as a shared responsibility is a dangerous yet familiar tactic within the UAE’s framework of digital authoritarianism. On February 2, 2026, the State Security Department (SSD) launched a new public reporting mechanism under the slogan "State Security is Everyone’s Responsibility." Such a scheme forces monitoring into the intimate lives of residents under the guise of safety and social stability. Incentivizing individuals to report on one another 24 hours a day serves to effectively deputize the public, creating a system where ordinary neighbors function as an extension of the police force.

This dynamic in turn replaces social trust with a culture of mutual suspicion and ensures state eyes are present even in private spaces. Operating through the SSD UAE mobile app, SMS, and a toll-free number, this reporting service creates a direct pipeline between the private sphere and the state’s most powerful security apparatus. The scope of reportable concerns is alarmingly broad and lacks any meaningful legal guardrails.

According to official guidelines, individuals are urged to flag digital conduct such as "insults" or "defamation" directed at the state or national symbols. This mandate extends into social behaviors, covering vague categories like "suspicious behavior" and "threats to national unity" that invite arbitrary reporting. Living under such constant scrutiny deters any form of free expression through a chilling effect where residents must self-censor every digital interaction to avoid being reported by a peer or even neighbors.

Since 2003, the Al Ameen service in Dubai has encouraged residents to report "suspicious" activity anonymously. What began as a localized police initiative has now been institutionalized into a sophisticated federal apparatus, moving from a simple tip line to a permanent, digital shadow in every resident's pocket.

A new layer of digital repression

The new reporting service gives the 2021 Law on Combatting Rumors and Cybercrimes its practical teeth. Under Article 25, the state already holds near-limitless power to criminalize online speech that “mocks” or “harms the reputation” of the government. While human rights groups have long condemned this law for silencing civil society, the SSD’s latest tool turns these broad legal threats into a community-led reality.

Its rollout adds a fresh layer to an already expanding digital dragnet. The move follows the March 4, 2025, decision by the UAE Federal Supreme Court to finalize life sentences for dozens of activists in the UAE 84 mass trial. By rejecting the final appeals of human rights defenders like Ahmed Mansoor and academics such as Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith, the court signaled a total rejection of dissenting voices. Cementing these convictions ensures that the surveillance apparatus promoted by the SSD is built upon the permanent silencing of the country's most prominent critics.

The systemic stifling of freedom of expression is also manifesting in the country’s academic spaces. The 2023–2024 academic year saw a sharp crackdown on campus speech at NYU Abu Dhabi, where authorities reportedly detained and deported a graduate student just days after they wore a kuffiyeh and shouted "Free Palestine" during their commencement ceremony. Similarly, an instructor was orally ordered to leave the country without explanation or legal recourse. These actions demonstrate that vague notions of public safety are being used to target not just political dissidents but also students and academics engaged in peaceful expression.

Through the new reporting campaign, every smartphone becomes a potential tool for state informants. This push matches other recent moves like the Federal Decree-Law on Child Digital Safety launched on January 1, 2026. While marketed as a protective measure for minors, the law imposes mandatory monitoring and reporting obligations on platforms and internet service providers. Such developments effectively harden an environment where civic space is already classified as closed.

Despite its public commitments during the 2023 UN Universal Periodic Review to protect freedom of expression, the UAE’s current trajectory suggests a move toward automated repression. This shift stands in direct conflict with the country's own legal foundation. Article 30 of the UAE Constitution explicitly guarantees the freedom of opinion and expression, yet this new reporting service creates a loophole that hollows out those very protections.

True security requires rights, not reports

Placing the burden of policing on the public ensures that dissent is rooted out before it can even reach the public square. Skyline International for Human Rights maintains that true stability cannot be built on anonymous tip lines or the criminalization of expression. Real security stems from protecting fundamental rights and preserving a society where disagreeing with the government is not treated as a crime.

The continued imprisonment of activists and the recent mass trial life sentences show the high price of peaceful advocacy in the country. A system that encourages neighbors to report one another only deepens this crisis and further isolates those who advocate for reform. True safety is impossible when human rights defenders and academics remain behind bars for their online and offline expression.

We call on the Emirati authorities to withdraw this reporting service and respect their obligations to protect freedom of expression under the constitutional and international standards they have pledged to uphold. We will continue to monitor the ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders and the impact this reporting system has on freedom of expression in the UAE.