Abu Dhabi: The Emirates Identity Authority (Emirates ID) has warned private sector organisations and commercial outlets against misusing the Emirates ID cards of their customers.
Such outlets cannot demand ID cards for purposes of rewards, discounts or sales points, and should not use the ID cards against services provided, an Emirates ID press release said on Wednesday.
The Emirates ID stressed that private sector organisations were not authorised to make it mandatory for their customers to produce their Emirates ID cards and misuse the cards for any type of commercial purposes. Such practices endanger the confidentiality of the customers’ personal data stored in the cards.
The authority called upon Emirates ID cardholders to responsibly protect their cards and the personal data they contain. Emirates ID pointed out that cardholders were not obliged to produce their ID cards for any private entity not legally entitled to ask for them or not possessing official permission from the authority to use the ID cards as a component in offering their services.
The authority has reiterated its stated position that the national ID card cannot be held by any public or private institution against providing services. “Institutions are not allowed to withhold the Emirates ID card, neither those of their employees or their visitors. They can’t keep the ID cards unless it is based on adjudication from a court of law. They are only allowed to take the personal data on the ID cards,” said Emirates ID.
“Cardholders whose ID cards were held according to the law can check with the respective authority. In case the card was held illegally, cardholders can refer the case to the judicial authorities,” it pointed out.
Emirates ID clarified that cardholders should know the legal capacity of the entity or person asking for the ID card to be presented in order to avoid falling victims to fraud.
As per the executive regulations of the Federal Law No 9 of 2006 relating to the population register and the ID card, cardholders should carry their cards at all times and present it whenever requested according to law. It also stipulates that whoever finds an ID card doesn’t have the right to keep it. Instead, he/she should immediately hand it to the nearest Emirates ID centre or police station. A circular regarding the duties of the cardholder has already been issued by the authority.
In the broader sense of the law, the two phrases: ‘to present it whenever requested according to law’ and ‘unless it was based on adjudication from a specialised court of law’ implicitly mean that the holder of the adjudication has the right to withhold the ID card as adjudication in the legal terminology may refer to the constitution, a federal decree, a local decree, a ministerial resolution, a verdict, a notice, official instructions or circulars, to name a few. At the same time, ‘adjudication’ can only be given based on a ministerial resolution.
Emirates ID stressed that in case the ID card was held in line with the law by a judicial officer, the cardholder can check with the officer’s respective authority.
Emirates ID urges the general public to communicate with it when necessary through 600530003, its social media pages on Facebook and Twitter and the instant chat service available on its website.
