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Stop selling personal information

Consumer Protection Department says it has not received or registered any complaint in this regard.

by

Mustafa Al Zarooni

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Published: Wed 7 Sep 2016, 8:10 PM

Last updated: Thu 8 Sep 2016, 2:27 PM

Breaching personal information provided by customers at various outlets is becoming quite common in the UAE. These outlets require the consumer to fill in their personal details like name, date of birth, email id, mobile numbers and profession. They, in turn, sell this information to companies for advertising purposes.
And when these companies obtain such personal information, they start bothering residents with SMS and emails on the products they are promoting.

'No registered complaints so far'
A source at the Consumer Protection Department, however, said the department has not received or registered any complaint in this regard.
He ascribed the reason for that to the culture of people. "Many of them do not want to bother filing a complaint since the issue is very common here," he said.
The source added that there is no company registered or licensed to sell the personal data of people.
Khaleej Times has learnt that many companies make unreasonable profits by selling such personal information.
He made it clear that some entities indicate in their membership forms and ask if it is possible to sell or share the information that members or clients writes down in the form.
Irked residents pointed out that their personal information and data moves from one firm to another very fast. "For example, if someone registers his details with a real estate company, he gets calls from related companies quite fast," said a resident. "It is the same with outlets selling household items or babies' products or any product for that matter," he added.
Some residents felt it is a disturbance to get calls from salespersons offering discount coupon booklets and other household objects. Add to that are calls from banks offering loans, offer to transfer loans from one account to another, and credit cards to solve their financial problems.
Abdullah Yousof Khalfan, an Emirati in Dubai described this in one word 'a disaster', saying one's mobile contact number is considered one's identity. "How can one's personal contact number and email address be passed on among many companies along with other personal information like that?" he asked. He added that he often gives wrong information when asked to fill up forms.
Mohammed Saeed bin Darweesh, another resident, said he refuses to give his contact number and private information to such outlets saying there is a breach of privacy. "I see this as a security threat to a person since one's private information can be used in matters that may harm him and put him in trouble," he said.
Bin Darweesh suggested that the process has to be organised, and personal information should not be shared except through government bodies or with the permission of the individual concerned.
malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com


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