Public warned not to publish air crash’s images

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority has given a stern warning to the general public to stop abusing social media by publishing videos, pictures and news of Dubai's air accident.
Several passengers, who were waiting for their fights in the lounges of the Dubai International Airport's terminals recorded the whole accident on their mobile phones. Several took to twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms to flash them and it took only few minutes when the horrific images went viral around the globe. Several of them were picked up by the international media that prominently telecast them in their bulletins as a breaking story.
On Thursday, the General Civil Aviation Authority that regulates the aviation industry used Facebook and Twitter to air its warning.
#GCAA warns all residents in the #UAE to stop abusing social networks by publishing videos, news or pictures of aviation's accidents.
In another Tweet, the authority said "Sharing such practices is considered to be irresponsible and disrespectful to the victims and is punishable under #UAE law.
Earlier in July, the Ministry of Interior had warned about posting images or video clips of road accidents on the social media, keeping in view respect for human dignity and the feelings of relatives of the deceased and those injured.
In a statement, on July 19, the ministry said the circulation of these images "is deemed as irresponsible behaviour and lack of a positive attitude among the citizens. It is also a violation of the law."
The ministry emphasized that the circulation of such images is "unacceptable" as it can cause a psychological shock to parents when they view such images," and added that it is contrary to the UAE's values derived from the Islamic concept of tolerance.
The ministry warned that it would bring to book those who indulge in such "undesirable" behaviours.
In recent weeks images of an accident in Ajman went viral when a person with epileptic disorder rammed his car in to a restaurant killing two people and injuring several others

haseeb@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi