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A British influencer in Dubai admits he’s far more worried about being fined or jailed for posting the ‘wrong’ content than he is of the lethal explosives themselves.
The thousands of UK expat online vloggers living in the Emirate know they face grave consequences for criticising or insulting the UAE government or causing ‘reputational harm’ to the country which can result in fines of up to £200,000, or up to five years in prison, and possibly deportation. A situation made more intolerable if you own property there.
That would include videos of drone or missile strikes which anger the authoritarian state.
Few influencers will speak about content laws, but Ben Moss from Wandsworth, London told the Daily Mail: ‘I do feel completely safe here because of the UAE air defences, but the laws can sometimes concern me so I always keep everything positive.
‘I’m far more scared of being fined or jailed for posting the wrong content than I am of the Iranian missiles and drones.’
When the first waves of Iranian ordnance was launched at the United Arab Emirates (UAE), lifestyle influencer Ben and his Iranian-born girlfriend Parisa, both 31, hot-footed it from their luxury flat in Ras Al Khaimah, the nearest point in the country to Iran, and travelled 70 miles inland.
They pitched a tent near Hatta, a border post with neighbouring Oman, which has largely remained unscathed in the current conflict.
‘We felt it was much safer to be in Hatta, keeping on the move each night,’ said Ben, ‘We were really worried at first, and I had also made the mistake of posting an image of my apartment online and it occurred to me that it could put us at risk.
‘We never intended leaving the UAE but we did see many families crossing the border when we were at Hatta in big fancy SUVs with huge amounts of suitcases clearly leaving over the border.
‘We’ve now cancelled the lease anyway and moved into Dubai as our confidence grew about the capability of the amazing air defences this country has.’
‘While he has spent that last 16 months or so promoting the merits of Ras Al Khaimah, the less-developed neighbour of Dubai, he’s now moving into hotels across the UAE to ply his trade across the entire UAE.
At his side is the glamorous Parisa, who describes herself as ‘Persian’, rather than Iranian. She asked for her surname not to be used and is keen to distance herself from the ‘terrorist regime’ of the Ayatollahs and is enduringly grateful to US President Donald Trump.
Her own influencing career is in its infancy with only 300 followers on TikTok, but she’s happy to lie low to a certain extent during the current hostilities because of her nationality.
‘When I check into a hotel and show them my Iranian passport at the moment, there’s a sharp intake of breath,’ she told the Daily Mail.
‘I hope the current action brings down the terrorist regime in Tehran, I lost all contact with all my friends when the attacks started and I pray to God that they are ok. Before I left Iran we would hear gunfire every night after 8pm.’
Ben says he knows where the line is drawn in the somewhat uneasy relationship which Dubai has with the estimated 50,000 influencers living there.
He showed me an unambiguous text he (and all citizens) received from the Dubai Police earlier in the week, which read: ‘Photographing or sharing security or critical sites, or reposting unreliable information, may result in legal action and compromise national security and stability.
‘Compliance helps keep the community safe and stable. Your Security is Our Happiness.’
He said he understands the security concerns about videos of drone or missile interceptions being posted and respects the government.
Ben, who has been in the UAE for around three years, admits that his new career is ‘a weird way to make a living’, but his endless enthusiasm keeps him going making ‘content’ deals with businesses across the UAE.
With just under 25k followers on TikTok under his Mr_Moss_Media account, he also coaches younger influencers on how to monetise their social media accounts.
‘It can be a grind, especially the first few months,’ he said. ‘Clients are a bit reluctant at first, as people often start up and fizzle out quite quickly, but once they realise you’re here to stay and you’ve got a track record, you can build up some momentum.’
He said he feels the current situation represents ‘an opportunity’ for those like him who are prepared to stay in the UAE for the ‘long haul’.
He added: ‘There will be plenty of people who will head home after these events, to the UK or other countries in Europe. And that might leave a gap for the rest of us.
‘It may also bring down the high property prices and the hotels and resorts will need help with marketing to get their numbers up, and that’s where people like me come in.’
‘I do see the market bouncing back within 24 months, as people will now view the UAE as being an even safer place to live, given they can defend themselves in such a spectacular way, etc. and when the Iranian regime is hopefully removed, we will be living in a much safer region.’
