Briefly: Why do we import computers, laptops, mobile phones, and smart televisions from abroad?

In Detail: We are a great soft power. We have all the qualifications, tools, equipment, and components upon which the industry in the United Arab Emirates is based. We can manufacture the aforementioned devices, which are specifically determined based on their cybersecurity status that is relatively controlled by manufacturers abroad. These manufacturers are obliged to pay large sums to ensure their non-violation and to hide their secrets, projects, data, accounts, plans, objectives, foresights, and strategies that have been prepared over years and for several years to come with tremendous efforts, audits, validations, signings, expectations, and many trials, which may be detonated in moments through cyber-attacks aimed at theft, demolition of capabilities, looting of capabilities, and loss of efforts and costs.

This could have happened if we had the most skilled hand, the enlightened mind, and the most comprehensive quality in manufacturing these devices under our supervision, using our tools and our equipment. We do not say it's difficult or impossible because His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, "There is no room for the word impossible in the leadership dictionary, and no matter how great the difficulties are, faith, determination, and insistence are capable of overcoming them." This is true due to the great efforts that everyone sees, hears about, and knows. Those efforts have enabled our dear country to be among the ranks of great nations, including the UAE's global tenth rank and first regional rank in soft power in 2023, which was announced at the annual global Soft Power conference in London.

The soft power that smartly attracts, with all good treatment, skill, and wisdom, a leading and people-oriented country, all countries to our dear country, so they can witness on the ground the reality of work, achievements, developments, and innovations that we have achieved with all honor, pride, and appreciation. The evidence of this is numerous and countless. Therefore, in my humble opinion, it's high time to address the issue of external control over their devices and systems with their constant attempts to destabilize economic security cybernetically. It's high time for us to be the manufacturers, the exporters to them, the controllers, the owners of information and data, the creators of encryptions, and the ones who repel monitoring.

Monitoring that reached television devices for those who ask what's the connection of TV devices to this article... Yes, it has reached the point that we or humans in their homes are being monitored. An example of the danger of smart TVs: published on arabic.rt.com under the title "Expert reveals the possibility of using television to monitor people," explained, "Alexander Bagov, a security analysis expert at Digital Security Company, announced that smart TVs could be used to monitor people even when they are off. The expert points out that modern smart TVs are equipped with cameras and microphones, so intruders can use them to eavesdrop and spy on their owners.""

As for computers, laptops, and mobile phones, most people have read, seen, and heard about their breaches, problems, and repercussions. It is noteworthy that we put stickers over our computer and laptop cameras to protect ourselves from surveillance and spying. However, we do not cover the lenses of our mobile phones, which usually contain more than one camera lens. There are global suspicions that these high-tech mobile phones are capable of capturing and hearing their surroundings even when they are switched off, a technically feasible scenario, even if it is not confirmed by users.

An example of the dangers of smartphones is a report published on Sky News Arabia titled "Does Your Phone Listen to What You're Saying Outside of Calls?" The report indicates that many people are concerned and believe that this does occur, and their evidence for this is that they talk about a certain product with their friends, with their phones placed next to them. After a short while, they are surprised to find advertisements promoting that product on the digital platforms they use.

Continuing with the news story, "Do Smartphones Spy on Us?" Jordan Schroeder, a network security expert, states that smartphones don't need to record what you say, because they already gather a lot of information about you in many ways. Schroeder attributes the reason why phones do not record what people say to the fact that it would be extremely expensive. Despite this, some users, especially conspiracy theory advocates, still firmly believe that phones indeed spy on their owners, benefiting advertising companies in the process.

Inquiring: Why are we under the threat of cyber attacks? Self-driving cars, drones, biometric systems, malicious software that doesn't need a link to be opened, airplane systems, ship systems, and apps are all under the threat of cyber attacks. For example, a report published on Sky News Arabia titled "Immediately Delete This Android App that Threatens Your Privacy" elaborates that cybersecurity experts warned of a frequently used Android app that threatens user privacy. Experts advised deleting the "iRecorder" app, which is used to record the screen, because of what they described as "skilful theft of files and images".

The app uses the phone's microphone every 15 minutes for unknown purposes. Jake Moore, a global cybersecurity advisor, said, "It's interesting that the app passed initial tests to get into the Google Play store, but it was an update that brought the malicious activity". Despite the app being removed from Google Play, it is advised to completely uninstall it from the phone.

With acceleration: It is not an exaggeration nor fearmongering to address this issue because this era is the era of technology, advanced and rapidly developing day by day, which alerts us to be ready for any forthcoming danger, unless the situation is relatively less severe when we are the dominating manufacturers and capable of doing so without any doubt.

With foresight: We are not talking about today or tomorrow, but about the coming years, according to a study, message, vision, plan, methodology, strategy, experience, application, governance, and sustainability to ensure that we have the best practice and best soft cyber power.