UAE Cybersecurity Council Warns Against Sharing Personal Data on Social Media

Residents in the UAE are being urged to be cautious about what they share online. The UAE Cybersecurity Council (CSC) has issued a warning about the risks of disclosing personal information on social media, saying it can expose people to fraud, scams, and cyberattacks.

The warning was issued on February 22, 2026, as digital threats grow more sophisticated and targeted. According to the Council, around 40 percent of users have experienced privacy breaches as a direct result of oversharing details about their lives or families online.

The CSC says data shared publicly can be harvested and used to build targeted scams. Even small, seemingly harmless details posted over time can give fraudsters enough information to impersonate someone, access accounts, or deceive people close to them. The Council specifically advises residents not to share home or workplace addresses, personal phone numbers, travel plans, or private family photos on public platforms.

The warning comes in the same week that ByteDance's AI video tool Seedance 2.0 went viral globally, drawing attention to how easily personal images and voice data can be exploited through AI to create deepfakes and clone voices without consent.

How to Keep Your Personal Data Safe Online

The Council outlined practical steps residents can take to protect themselves.

Securing social media accounts is the first priority. This means using strong passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication on all platforms. Reusing passwords across multiple accounts should be avoided.

Mobile device security is equally important. Keeping software and apps regularly updated, and limiting app access to cameras, microphones, and location services unless necessary, can significantly reduce exposure. Residents are advised to verify that any platform they share sensitive data on is secure and to avoid unfamiliar or unsecured platforms altogether. Monitoring accounts regularly for unusual activity is also recommended, especially as scammers increasingly use AI-generated messages to target individuals.

UAE Steps Up Cybersecurity Awareness

The CSC stressed that individuals have a key role to play in protecting their own data. Responsible online behavior from everyday users is essential to keeping the UAE's digital ecosystem safe, alongside government efforts.

In support of this, the Cyber Pulse awareness campaign, now in its second year, is running actively across the UAE. The initiative focuses on strengthening trust in the country's digital infrastructure, improving awareness among families and individuals, and encouraging safer online habits in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

The warning builds on a series of recent alerts from UAE authorities. Earlier advisories noted that over 60 percent of financial attacks in the country begin with stolen login details, and that the UAE saw a 35 percent rise in phishing and SMS scam messages in recent periods. The authority has also flagged that over 70 percent of cyber threats targeting the UAE are state-sponsored, underlining the scale of the digital threat environment residents face.

In an era where AI tools can generate convincing deepfakes from a single photo, the Council's message is clear: personal data shared online can travel far beyond its intended audience and cause serious harm.