Doha: A US data firm, whose work for Donald Trump's campaign attracted the interest of US investigators, has admitted that it was paid money by the UAE to spread negative information about Qatar. NBC News reported that the parent company of Cambridge Analytica, SCL Social Limited, filed documents with the US Justice Department's Foreign Agents Registration Unit disclosing $333,000 in payments by the UAE for a 2017 social media campaign linking Qatar to terrorism.
The data firm filed paperwork showing it had helped spread negative information about Qatar.
According to NBC, the flood of new filings provides a small window into the long-opaque industry of foreign lobbying in Washington in which money is spent by foreign governments to sway the opinions of the American public and US officials, most often against their adversaries.
Many UAE sponsored media outlets were at the forefront of the negative campaign against Qatar. They also spread fake news against Doha, which were called out by international organisations and prominent persons, like the time Assange called out a fake news published by one of the UAE media outlet.
The $333,000 contract between SCL Social Limited and the National Media Council of the UAE included creating multiple ads on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media sites with the hashtag #boycottqatar, drawing ties between terrorism and Qatar, NBC said in its report.
It’s been said by many Qatar officials that UAE is paying for advertisements that are targeting Qatar with fake information and insinuations.
SCL Social Limited spread the negative ads during the United Nations General Assembly meeting in September.
