DIGITAL ADVERTISING REGULATION AND CONSUMER PROTECTION POLICY IN THE UAE: ETHICAL CHALLENGES AND CONSUMER TRUST IN THE DIGITAL ERA

It is remarkable that the current research primarily aims to measure the extent to which UAE Consumers use various Digital Advertising Channels, as well as to evaluate e-marketing requirements and the degree of compliance in the United Arab Emirates. The Research, however, has employed a Descriptive-Analytical Approach, collecting data through a questionnaire that includes several questions targeting a sample of 150 consumers from different Emirates. The data were analyzed using SPSS and statistical methods, including complaint analysis, Interest Frequencies, and graphical representations. Our results show that social media is the most widely used digital advertising channel, accounting for 34% of the market. However, trust in these advertisements has ranged from "Very High" to "None," with proportions indicating substantial variation in consumer trust. Almost half of the contributors in the sample were unaware of the Consumer Protection Law, and 40.7% were unsure whether it covered Digital Advertisements. Moreover, 47.3% of participants have been subject to misleading advertisements, with "False Information" being the most common at 31%. The findings revealed that nearly half of the participants in the questionnaire were unaware of the channels used for submitting complaints, and a considerable percentage of these complaints remained unresolved. According to the Statistical Results stated above, our research has come out with the following recommendations, Enhancing Public Awareness of Digital Consumer Rights; Strengthening the role of regulatory bodies and increasing transparency; Tightening control over Digital Advertisement Content; Simplifying Complaint Submission & Processing Procedures;  Improvement of Complaint Handling Efficiency; Paying attention to consumer suggestions regarding the development of Digital Environment; and Encouraging the promotion of Legislation to keep pace with the evolving digital landscape.