UAE: How Houthi rebels used misinformation to disrupt global trade routes, explain experts
'In the case of the Houthis, their disinformation campaign has really altered the narrative as it allowed them to achieve success; they've been able to amplify and make it seem like they're doing a lot more than they really are. The end results were that they completely altered the global supply chain,' he explained.
Houthis changed the routing of the global supply chain and impacted the cost of European and Asian trade; 'that's pretty incredible for a non-nation state,' he added.
Donegan, who was speaking at the International Defence Conference in Abu Dhabi a day before the world's biggest International Defence Exhibition (IDEX) kicks off in the UAE capital, emphasised that while information warfare is not new, the velocity and scale at which it can be executed today present new challenges.
The Houthis, he said, combined social media with traditional media platforms they had seized in 2014; they conducted daily press briefings where officials made misleading claims, often supported by unrelated or manipulated video content.
'In one case, they basically said they sunk the USS Eisenhower as it was leaving the Red Sea... Despite evidence that they didn't, it didn't matter because they had the pairing of television, print, daily press briefings, video, and even music videos to augment that,' said the Vice Admiral.
Ayesha Manzoor Wattoo, Director General of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), warned of the broader dangers of disinformation, particularly in political stability and public health. 'Consequences of disinformation campaigns are huge. If state and non-state actors start spreading disinformation during elections, people lose trust in the entire electoral process, leading them to not accept the democratically elected government.'
She cited Pakistan's 2024 elections, where a political party's propaganda falsely claimed the elections would be rigged, eroding people's confidence in the process.
She also highlighted how misinformation campaigns have been used to destabilise Pakistan's Baluchistan district. 'A small militant group, with the help of our enemies through their social media platforms, is spreading lies and malicious propaganda that Baluchistan wants freedom from Pakistan. This is just to destabilise and sabotage the progress and growth Baluchistan is going to see through the CPEC corridor.'
Wattoo noted how public health has also suffered due to misinformation, citing how fake news about COVID-19 vaccines led to widespread hesitancy in rural Pakistan. 'Because of the literacy rate of people living in rural areas, they were hesitant to get vaccinated due to so much fake news regarding the origin and the vaccination of the disease.'
Wattoo also referenced the role of Facebook in spreading racist and inflammatory content against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar in 2007, which fuelled violent attacks. Similar tactics have been used in India and the UK, where false social media posts have incited protests and unrest, she added.
Liisa Past, Cyber Security & Strategic Communication Expert and Former National Cyber Director of Estonia, described this evolving landscape as a 'world of mutual assured doubt.'
She warned that AI has become both a threat and a tool in the information war. 'AI is a force multiplier for the attacker because it allows them to create content that talks and feels native,' she said, explaining how AI-generated content can convincingly mimic public figures and influential voices.
'Once you figure out one area, whether it's media regulation or cybersecurity, the threat actors shift their focus. We've seen this cycle repeat itself as nations defend critical infrastructure, only for attacks to move into the grey area of information operations.'
The panelists agreed that disinformation campaigns are becoming more sophisticated and pervasive, which calls for urgent countermeasures. 'The real fact of the matter is this isn't going to go away,' Donegan added. 'It's here to stay. So, the last thing that I'll say is it's about trusted information. That's really what we're talking about here — what information sources you can trust.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sharjah 24
10 hours ago
- Sharjah 24
Russia has won war in Ukraine, Hungray's Orban says
In power since 2010, Orban has been criticised by some European leaders for his government's ties with Russia and opposition to military aid for Ukraine, while his cabinet is struggling to revive the economy from an inflation shock. Orban, who has maintained close ties with Putin even after Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, became the only European Union leader on Monday not to endorse a joint statement saying Ukraine should have the freedom to decide its future. "We are talking now as if this were an open-ended war situation, but it is not. The Ukrainians have lost the war. Russia has won this war," Orban told the 'Patriot' YouTube channel in an interview. "The only question is when and under what circumstances will the West, who are behind the Ukrainians, admit that this has happened and what will result from all this." Hungray, which gets most of its energy from Russia, has refused to send weapons to Ukraine, with Orban also strongly opposing Ukraine's EU membership, saying it would wreak havoc on Hungarian farmers and the wider economy. Orban said Europe had missed an opportunity to negotiate with Putin under former U.S. President Joe Biden's administration and now was at risk of its future being decided without its involvement. "If you are not at the negotiating table, you are on the menu," Orban said, adding that he partly opposed the EU's joint statement on Ukraine as it made Europe look "ridiculous and pathetic." "When two leaders sit down to negotiate with each other, the Americans and the Russians ... and you're not invited there, you don't rush for the phone, you don't run around, you don't shout in from the outside."
Middle East Eye
15 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Israel seeks to build ties with Baltic states as it faces increasing hostility
Israel's president Isaac Herzog has been welcomed to Latvia by pro-Palestinian demonstrators during his two-day visit to the country. Herzog is visiting Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in order to make alliances with European countries that are less 'hostile' than Western European ones, according to the Jerusalem Post. His visit comes a month after foreign minister Gideon Saar visited the same three countries.
The National
20 hours ago
- The National
Yemen situation 'deeply fragile' amid broader regional conflict, UN envoy says
The situation in Yemen is "deeply fragile" and has been exacerbated by the spillover of the Israel-Gaza war, the UN's envoy to the country said on Monday. Hans Grundberg told the UN Security Council that regional turmoil "continues to erode prospects for peace and stability" in the country. "There is an urgent need for proactive and pragmatic measures that can pave the way for peace in Yemen," Mr Grundberg said. Yemen has been mired in conflict for more than a decade, after the Iran-backed Houthis rebelled against the internationally recognised central government. A fragile truce was enacted in 2022, although it has since expired. Mr Grundberg previously outlined three priorities to lay the groundwork for "lasting solutions" in Yemen: supporting de-escalation on the front lines and working with warring parties on the tenets of a ceasefire; establishing a path for talks in line with the December 2023 peace road map; and continuing to work with the regional and international community to stabilise and support the country. On the third point, he highlighted the spillover effects of the Israel-Gaza war, and the retaliatory drone and missile strikes launched by Israel and the Houthis. "Beyond complicating the mediation space for a long-term settlement of the conflict in Yemen, this escalation has led to the near destruction of Yemen's west coast port facilities," Mr Grundberg said. "This is placing immense strain on Yemen's vital infrastructure." Russia condemned Israel for "collectively punishing" the people of Yemen for decisions made by the Houthi leadership. "This once again shows that without a ceasefire in Gaza, it is futile to hope for resolving the situation and leading to regional de-escalation," Russian deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told the council. The US laid responsibility for the situation in Yemen on the Houthis and Iran. "Iran's defiance of this council's resolutions enables the Houthis to escalate regional tensions," said Dorothy Shea, acting US representative to the UN. " Iran's continued support for the Houthis also poses a threat to the people of Yemen and to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea." The Houthis have launched attacks on commercial ships they say have a connection with Israel in the Red Sea. Most recently, the group said it had "rescued" 11 sailors from the Eternity C cargo ship after sinking the vessel. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate. Ramesh Rajasingham, the head of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva and director of the Co-ordination Division, told the council that Yemen is now one of the most food-insecure places in the world. "As the economy continues to collapse and pressures on the food pipelines now, many households with access to food can no longer afford it," he said. Mr Rajasingham said that many children have died, not from war wounds, but from hunger, "slow, silent and preventable". "Children are forced to work instead of going to school, and it means that women and adolescent girls face heightened risks of domestic violence, exploitation or child marriage."
