The decision by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to prohibit car rental firms from holding a customer’s passport or identification papers for security reasons is a welcome move that strengthens consumer protection in the UAE.
From an industry perspective, this move brings the rental industry into line with international standards that protect a company’s investments, but the RTA’s decision more importantly addresses a growing security issue surrounding our personal data.
While companies have argued for years that they must retain these documents due to the transitory nature of consumers in the UAE, the documents they are seeking to hold are no longer simply a security against someone absconding. Our passports, identification cards and credit cards are tied directly to our identities, and due to the ubiquitous nature of information technology in our lives, any compromise to this data is now more damaging than any fender bender or traffic ticket. The security of our personal data is central to our well-being and should be given adequate protection. Only under very limited circumstances, such as the direction of a police officer or some other figure of official authority, should such documents ever be held by anyone other than to whom they were issued.
This should also include copies of such documents. A copy of an Emirates ID or a credit card left irresponsibly in a dust bin for anyone to find is just as much a security issue as the theft of the actual card itself.
Hopefully, more regulatory agencies will adopt similar measures. The more we as a society are able to reduce the exposure of our personal information to the world at large, the more safe and secure our cyber-centric society will be.
