UAE Data Law to ensure customer information is safely used by firms
Law to be drafted in partnership with major tech companies
The law will empower individuals to control how their personal data is used, stored and shared in a move that aims to protect privacy of individuals and institutions.
Most customers using internet are not aware of what happens to their data even as 99 per cent of businesses in the UAE use third-party trackers and advertisement-platforms, a new survey has found.
However, the UAE’s Data Law is on the anvil and is expected to be a game changer in ensuring that customer data will be safely used by private companies, according to a senior executive of a company behind the survey.
Announced as part of the ‘Projects of the 50’, the UAE Data Law is the first federal law to be drafted in partnership with major technology companies. The law will empower individuals to control how their personal data is used, stored and shared in a move that aims to protect privacy of individuals and institutions and limit use of personal data by business entities for profit.
Conducted by Centurion Consulting on behalf of Zoho Corp, a global technology company, the survey released in Dubai on Tuesday found that only 68 per cent of respondents have well-defined and documented policies for customer data privacy and a mere eight per cent strictly apply them.
“This rampant use of thirdparty trackers in the business space has severe ethical and privacy implications because of the enormous amounts of customer data being gathered through them,” said Hyther Nizam, president-MEA, Zoho Corp.
“Most businesses use the same set of third-party trackers, which means the large corporates behind these trackers can combine data collected across different websites and build comprehensive individual profiles for hypertargeted advertising.”
Adjunct surveillance
He said this practice is called ‘adjunct surveillance’. “When businesses that employ thirdparty trackers do not adhere to a strict privacy policy for customer data protection, they put their customers’ data at risk. Most internet users are not aware of how much data these trackers are gathering and what is happening with that data,” he explained.
However, this scenario is likely to see major changes when the UAE’s recently-announced Data Law will come into force, said Ali Shabdar, director MEA, Zoho Corp.
“Companies who use technology to mine your data will take what they need as long as they are within the boundaries of the law. But the law has not been keeping up with the speed of technology. Now that the new law is coming up, there will be more clarity on how and what data can be collected and stored by companies and how it can be used,” he told Gulf News.
“When there is a law, people will start talking about it. When there is a lot of conversation around it, there will be better education and awareness about data privacy and protection, which is very important.”
When the law becomes effective, he said, people will start thinking what companies are doing with their data and be more cautious while it will make businesses take data collection seriously.
“They will not be liberal with our data. They’ll take better care with our personal information. The law will put more responsibility on the companies. I hope there would be some measures for us to go and complain about data protection, the way we deal with consumer protection.”