Sheryl Sandberg said it is vital the public is not shut out of access to information. Supplied
Sheryl Sandberg said it is vital the public is not shut out of access to information. Supplied
Sheryl Sandberg said it is vital the public is not shut out of access to information. Supplied
Sheryl Sandberg said it is vital the public is not shut out of access to information. Supplied

Facebook says 'social media is bad for dictators' as platform vows to fight Russia ban


Sarwat Nasir
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A senior Facebook chief has vowed to fight Russia's ban to ensure its citizens are not deprived of “valid and real” information on the country's war in Ukraine.

Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Meta, the company that owns Facebook, said that before the onset of social media countries such as Russia were “controlled by one voice".

Speaking at Expo 2020 Dubai, Ms Sandberg said Facebook had been seeking to counter misinformation from the Russian government before it was blocked.

Russia imposed a ban on Facebook on Friday, as its invasion of Ukraine continued.

Social media is bad for dictators – that's why Putin took us down
Sheryl Sandberg

Access to Twitter was also restricted.

Russia's communication regulator said the move was in response to restrictions placed on its media by Facebook, citing 26 cases of “discrimination” against Russian media by the platform since October 2020.

“Social media is bad for dictators — that's why Putin took us down,” said Ms Sandberg in a talk moderated by CNBC’s Hadley Gamble for International Women’s Day.

“Before social media, in a country like Russia, the media was completely controlled by one voice.

“Social media changes the ability of people to post and to speak … But, the scariest part of all of this is the lack of access.

  • A Ukrainian serviceman walks past the vertical tail fin of a Russian Su-34 bomber lying in a damaged building in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo
    A Ukrainian serviceman walks past the vertical tail fin of a Russian Su-34 bomber lying in a damaged building in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo
  • An apartment building damaged after shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo
    An apartment building damaged after shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo
  • A woman puts her head in her hands as she sits on a cot in a shelter, set up for displaced persons fleeing Ukraine, inside a school gymnasium in Przemysl, Poland. AP Photo
    A woman puts her head in her hands as she sits on a cot in a shelter, set up for displaced persons fleeing Ukraine, inside a school gymnasium in Przemysl, Poland. AP Photo
  • Belarussian and suspected Russian helicopters on the flight line at Machulishchy Air Base outside Minsk, Belarus. AP Photo
    Belarussian and suspected Russian helicopters on the flight line at Machulishchy Air Base outside Minsk, Belarus. AP Photo
  • Children look on as people fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine shelter in a school, in Drohobych, Ukraine. Reuters
    Children look on as people fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine shelter in a school, in Drohobych, Ukraine. Reuters
  • Families eat in the shelter. Reuters
    Families eat in the shelter. Reuters
  • A woman looks out from a building damaged by Russian shelling in Mykolaiv, 100 kilometres away from Odesa, western Ukraine. AFP
    A woman looks out from a building damaged by Russian shelling in Mykolaiv, 100 kilometres away from Odesa, western Ukraine. AFP
  • A wounded Ukrainian man waits in the corridor of the central hospital of Mykolaiv. AFP
    A wounded Ukrainian man waits in the corridor of the central hospital of Mykolaiv. AFP
  • An elderly woman is carried in a shopping cart after being rescued from Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. AP
    An elderly woman is carried in a shopping cart after being rescued from Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. AP
  • A woman reacts as a train carrying children from Kyiv's Central Children's Hospital leaves the Ukrainian capital on its way to Lviv. Reuters
    A woman reacts as a train carrying children from Kyiv's Central Children's Hospital leaves the Ukrainian capital on its way to Lviv. Reuters
  • A girl sits in an improvised bomb shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine. AP
    A girl sits in an improvised bomb shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine. AP
  • An elderly woman is coated in snow as she sits in a wheelchair after being rescued from Irpin. AP
    An elderly woman is coated in snow as she sits in a wheelchair after being rescued from Irpin. AP
  • Belarusian volunteers take part in military exercises at the Belarusian Company base in Kyiv. AP
    Belarusian volunteers take part in military exercises at the Belarusian Company base in Kyiv. AP
  • Lessa, left, director of a nursery school turned into a refugee shelter, cries as she hugs Olega, who arrived from Kyiv with her baby, near Lviv. EPA
    Lessa, left, director of a nursery school turned into a refugee shelter, cries as she hugs Olega, who arrived from Kyiv with her baby, near Lviv. EPA
  • Ukrainians pass a damaged bridge as they flee from Irpin. AP
    Ukrainians pass a damaged bridge as they flee from Irpin. AP
  • A man carries an elderly woman as people continue to leave Irpin. AP
    A man carries an elderly woman as people continue to leave Irpin. AP
  • A soldier stands on a barricade made of sandbags in central Odesa, Ukraine. Reuters
    A soldier stands on a barricade made of sandbags in central Odesa, Ukraine. Reuters
  • A charred Russian tank and captured tanks in the Sumy region. Reuters
    A charred Russian tank and captured tanks in the Sumy region. Reuters
  • People rest at a temporary shelter for Ukrainian refugees in Przemysl, Poland. AFP
    People rest at a temporary shelter for Ukrainian refugees in Przemysl, Poland. AFP
  • Ukraine's ambassador to the Netherlands, Maksym Kononenko, third right, and his wife Tetiana Doroshenko, fourth left, attend a meeting of members of the Ukrainian community with Dutch King Willem-Alexander, third left, and Queen Maxima, second left, to discuss the situation in Ukraine, in The Hague. EPA
    Ukraine's ambassador to the Netherlands, Maksym Kononenko, third right, and his wife Tetiana Doroshenko, fourth left, attend a meeting of members of the Ukrainian community with Dutch King Willem-Alexander, third left, and Queen Maxima, second left, to discuss the situation in Ukraine, in The Hague. EPA
  • A Ukrainian soldier looks at the destruction after shelling in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv. AFP
    A Ukrainian soldier looks at the destruction after shelling in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv. AFP
  • A refugee holds her dog as they wait for trains to Poland in Lviv, Ukraine. Reuters
    A refugee holds her dog as they wait for trains to Poland in Lviv, Ukraine. Reuters
  • A woman ties ribbons in Ukrainian national flag colours in a girl's hair as people wait at a refugee assistance centre in Prague, Czech Republic. EPA
    A woman ties ribbons in Ukrainian national flag colours in a girl's hair as people wait at a refugee assistance centre in Prague, Czech Republic. EPA
  • A Ukrainian soldier carries an elderly woman crossing the Irpin river on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP
    A Ukrainian soldier carries an elderly woman crossing the Irpin river on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP
  • Lena, who had never left Ukraine before fleeing into Moldova, feeds Dasha, 3, soon after crossing the border. Erin Clare Brown for The National
    Lena, who had never left Ukraine before fleeing into Moldova, feeds Dasha, 3, soon after crossing the border. Erin Clare Brown for The National
  • Refugees without immediate plans to move further inland can stay the night in tents set up on Moldova's side of the border. Erin Clare Brown for The National
    Refugees without immediate plans to move further inland can stay the night in tents set up on Moldova's side of the border. Erin Clare Brown for The National
  • Tatiana and her son wait for a van that will carry them from the Moldovan border to Chisinau. Erin Clare Brown for The National
    Tatiana and her son wait for a van that will carry them from the Moldovan border to Chisinau. Erin Clare Brown for The National
  • Each night, the Palanca refugee camp in Moldova feeds up to 300 people who arrive with no onward plans. Erin Clare Brown for The National
    Each night, the Palanca refugee camp in Moldova feeds up to 300 people who arrive with no onward plans. Erin Clare Brown for The National
  • People pass a damaged bridge while fleeing the town of Irpin, close to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. AP
    People pass a damaged bridge while fleeing the town of Irpin, close to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. AP
  • A Ukrainian soldier stands guard next to a church in Irpin. EPA
    A Ukrainian soldier stands guard next to a church in Irpin. EPA
  • A firefighter holds the baby of a Ukrainian refugee at the border in Romania. AP
    A firefighter holds the baby of a Ukrainian refugee at the border in Romania. AP
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in Kyiv. Reuters
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in Kyiv. Reuters
  • A Ukrainian soldier at a checkpoint in Kyiv. AP
    A Ukrainian soldier at a checkpoint in Kyiv. AP
  • Ukrainian activist Ihor Mazur, left, a veteran of the war in the country's east, looks at a night-vision device in Kyiv. AP
    Ukrainian activist Ihor Mazur, left, a veteran of the war in the country's east, looks at a night-vision device in Kyiv. AP
  • Ambassadors attend a UN Security Council meeting on threats to international security after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in New York. Reuters
    Ambassadors attend a UN Security Council meeting on threats to international security after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in New York. Reuters
  • Ukraine's UN ambassador Sergey Kyslytsya holds a paper with an image of Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as he addresses the Security Council in New York. Reuters
    Ukraine's UN ambassador Sergey Kyslytsya holds a paper with an image of Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as he addresses the Security Council in New York. Reuters
  • A road sign put up in support of Mr Zelenskyy outside Russia's embassy in Washington. AFP
    A road sign put up in support of Mr Zelenskyy outside Russia's embassy in Washington. AFP
  • Ukrainian refugees at the train station in Lviv, western Ukraine. EPA
    Ukrainian refugees at the train station in Lviv, western Ukraine. EPA
  • Lethal and non-lethal Ukrainian aid is loaded on to a plane bound for Poland by Canadian soldiers in Trenton, Ontario. Reuters
    Lethal and non-lethal Ukrainian aid is loaded on to a plane bound for Poland by Canadian soldiers in Trenton, Ontario. Reuters
  • Volunteers carry medical aid and necessities at a train station in Lviv. EPA
    Volunteers carry medical aid and necessities at a train station in Lviv. EPA
  • Everton players wear T-shirts in support of Ukraine as they warm up for an English Premier League football match against Tottenham Hotspur. AP
    Everton players wear T-shirts in support of Ukraine as they warm up for an English Premier League football match against Tottenham Hotspur. AP
  • A residential building damaged by Russian shelling in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Reuters
    A residential building damaged by Russian shelling in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Reuters
  • A man walks past a checkpoint in heavy snow in Lviv. Getty
    A man walks past a checkpoint in heavy snow in Lviv. Getty
  • A man fleeing fighting in Irpin waits to cross a river after Russian forces entered the city. Getty
    A man fleeing fighting in Irpin waits to cross a river after Russian forces entered the city. Getty
  • Soldiers assist Irpin residents underneath a damaged bridge as they flee. Getty
    Soldiers assist Irpin residents underneath a damaged bridge as they flee. Getty
  • Ukrainian civilians who volunteered to join the Territorial Defence Forces take part in a training exercise in Odesa after Russia's invasion. Reuters
    Ukrainian civilians who volunteered to join the Territorial Defence Forces take part in a training exercise in Odesa after Russia's invasion. Reuters
  • Men carry a body to a lorry as people flee from the frontline town of Irpin. EPA
    Men carry a body to a lorry as people flee from the frontline town of Irpin. EPA
  • A Ukrainian police officer runs with a child as the sound of shelling echoes nearby in Irpin. AP
    A Ukrainian police officer runs with a child as the sound of shelling echoes nearby in Irpin. AP
  • Parents and children struggle to board a train in Lviv. AP
    Parents and children struggle to board a train in Lviv. AP

“When we go down in Russia, people are losing their ability to actually understand what's happening. So, I think we need to fight for access and make sure that social media exists so that people do get information from all over the world, and that information is valid and real.”

Meta has been working on removing misinformation posted by Russian groups, including labelling posts that may be false.

Ms Sandberg said that Russia had asked Facebook to stop labelling its posts as misinformation, a request the company refused.

“We have been labelling things that the government says as invalid and misinformation and we were doing it in Russia,” she said.

“In fact, one of the reasons they took us down is because they asked us to stop labelling those posts as misinformation and we refused.

“So again, because we are not controlled by Russia, we were labelling the things they were saying that were false as ‘false’.”

“I think it is a real shame that we're down and other services are down because we now don't know what kind of information is available there. It’s much more restrictive.”

Meta's head of global affairs, Nick Clegg, said the company would continue to do everything it could to restore its services.

“Soon, millions of ordinary Russian will find themselves cut off from reliable information, deprived of their everyday ways of connecting with family and friends and silenced from speaking out,” he said in a statement on Twitter.

Major tech and social media companies have faced pressure to respond to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has led to economic sanctions against Moscow by governments around the world.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation".

The White House said it was “deeply concerned” by Russia's decision to block the US firm, and said it was part of a wider effort to cut off information.

The ban came after Russia's parliament passed a new law imposing jail terms of up to 15 years for spreading what it called intentionally “fake” news about the military.

The BBC said it would temporarily suspend the work of all its journalists and support staff in Russia following the introduction of the law.

yallacompare profile

Date of launch: 2014

Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer

Based: Media City, Dubai 

Sector: Financial services

Size: 120 employees

Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

Winners

Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski

Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)

Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea

Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona

Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)

Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)

Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)

Best National Team of the Year: Italy 

Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello

Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)

Player Career Award: Ronaldinho

MATCH INFO

What: Brazil v South Korea
When: Tonight, 5.30pm
Where: Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae

The%20Super%20Mario%20Bros%20Movie
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Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg

Rating: 4/5

Updated: March 08, 2022, 3:35 PM