Between India and the UAE: Why phone screens are calmer in a conflict zone
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This article was originally published in Rest of World, which covers technology’s impact outside the West.
In the early hours of March 1, my screaming phone jolted me out of a Netflix binge in my Abu Dhabi apartment.
The sound bypassed silent mode, overrode every setting, and demanded attention. It was from the United Arab Emirates’ National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, NCEMA, warning of incoming ballistic missiles and telling residents to shelter in place. Iran had begun retaliating after US-Israeli strikes on the country earlier. The message came through in English, Arabic, and Filipino to every SIM card in the UAE, no app or opt-in required.
What struck me over the following days was how calm the information environment remained. The National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority posted updates on X in the three languages. The Ministry of Interior sent emergency broadcasts to every phone connected to mobile-phone towers with clear instructions. WhatsApp was for reassuring family, not for sourcing news. With NCEMA posting updates and the threat of prosecution for sharing unverified footage, there was no vacuum for rumor to fill.
The UAE’s Attorney General warned that filming interceptions or sharing unverified footage could attract fines of as much as 200,000 dirhams (around $55,000), and people...