The UAE government has denied reports of any ‘Worldwide Internet service outage’ on October 11. Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) officials have said that the news reports are false and inaccurate.
“We strongly encourage everyone to rely solely on our official channels for accurate information to avoid unnecessary worry,” the TDRA authority posted on platform X.
#TDRA No Disruption in Internet Services on 11th Oct.
We strongly encourage everyone to rely solely on our official channels.#UAE pic.twitter.com/XG0WrbHNLC
— تدرا 🇦🇪 TDRA (@tdrauae) October 3, 2023
There’s a video that seems to show a newscaster claiming that there would be an Internet outage for a “limited period of time.” The video then cuts to a famous news report airing on a news channel, which supposedly discusses the system outage.
On the other hand, reports from Arabic media suggest the clip may have been altered. Initial airings of the show’s 2018 pilot showed the newscasters off-topic. Video going viral has had its images blurred and audio about internet outage added.
Other purported explanations for the outage that gained traction on social media on October 11 blamed it on a “solar storm.”
The Telecommunications and Digital Research Association has provided clear confirmation that there would be no disruptions to Internet access on the day in issue.
