Take this "slavery" nonsense for example. There is literally no difference between migration regime of a low-skilled worker and a highly-paid "expat". Rules are the same and they are way softer than, for example, H1B.
Millions used to be spent on smearing Dubai, so we will be hearing echoes of those "horror stories" for many years.
Other horror stories, which are not propaganda, are coming from cultural deafness. A Brit gets drunk, engages in sex on a public beach and then cries about "savage laws" when gets arrested. When in Rome, do like Romans, but some people think their view is better than anyone else's. I've seen Brits who think British laws should apply to them wherever they go.
You can’t be serious.
Nobody is withholding an expat’s passport while they live in boxes with 16 other people and working for months on end.
You’re making ridiculous comparisons and it makes me dubious of your intent here.
Even if they let you keep your passport, you still need an exit visa to leave. I've known wealthy upper class people to get stuck in the country for a bit because they had a dispute with their employer and the latter then refused to sign the paperwork so he could get an exit visa.