ID secrecy concerns groundless

Abu Dhabi: Residents applying for ID cards through Emirates Marketing and Promotions (EMP) need not worry about the secrecy of their personal information, a senior official told Gulf News.

"The Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) has not authorised them [EMP] to utilise the information and we made this very clear under a strict contract and privacy agreement," Thamer Rashid Al Qasimi, Planning Director and Project Management Director said in response to concerns raised by a Gulf News reader.

John. S, a Gulf News reader, had alleged that a joint mechanism of application processing by EIDA and EMP was a blatant violation of privacy.

He said the EIDA has allowed EMP to collect and process application forms and there was no guarantee the data would not be copied and used for marketing purposes.

"The interesting part is we pay Dh40 to give away our information and some marketing company is making money on it", he said.

"I know that the ID card system proposed by EIDA is designed as a foolproof mechanism with a three-step security feature; it may be secure." But, according to him, it is not the right way to start the identity project, because personal information has already been stolen before it enters the secure vaults of EIDA.

Dismissing such concerns, the official said: "Applicants have no need to worry because EMP is a government entity, and works under UAE laws."

"They use our 100 per cent designed application so we enforce this and control this environment and the outsourced service," Al Qasimi added.

Clarification: Dh40 charge

Regarding the complaint that the Dh40 fee for the pre-registration process through EMP is too costly, the official said the service is meant for people who do not know how to use a computer. "The service charge is levied by the third party [EMP] and not EIDA", he said.

EIDA limited the cost to Dh40 as some typing centres were charging up to Dh100 just to type and print the form, Al Qasimi added.

EIDA offers the pre-registration form free of charge on its website and it can be filled in within 10 minutes, he added.

EIDA is also working with the Central Bank to sort out the complaints that banks do not accept the ID card as a valid document for opening a bank account, the official said. "We are confident we will sort it out shortly," Al Qasimi said.