UAE needs to discuss data privacy issue

A national conversation would set the balance when oversight ends and intrusion begins

The issues of privacy and surveillance in the UAE warrant exploration. Pawan Singh / The National

Unlike in the US and many European countries, there has not been much of a public conversation in this country about the right to privacy and the appropriate limits of surveillance. Even if this reflects a tacit acceptance of the current levels of oversight, this is still a discussion worth having.

The reason can be seen in the prosecution of a senior government official and two subordinates for installing closed-circuit TV cameras in a customer service area, allegedly breaching the privacy of female workers there. The trio deny the charges, claiming the camera was monitoring a public area.

While the merits of this particular case is for the courts to decide, it demonstrates that the wider issues of privacy and surveillance warrant exploration. Most people in the UAE know there is a high level of surveillance, such as CCTV in offices, residences and on streets, and that personal information is shared between government departments.

They have often had reason to be grateful for this. The rapid arrest in the recent Reem Island murder case shows how useful such information can be to police. Many residents will feel safer with cameras in their buildings. But a public conversation would be useful over who has access to this data and how such data is handled. How long are CCTV images kept for? Where and with what security are they stored? Can medical or government records be accessed by any employees or only those properly vetted?

The situation in the UAE has marked differences to other countries. Here the large expatriate workforce has the choice of voting with their presence (or absence) if they do not agree with the stance on privacy adopted nationally. Their views ought to count but this is – as it should be – a decision for Emiratis for how we want the country to strike the balance between privacy and security.

Other local factors that distinguish this balancing act are the high value placed on the sanctity of the home and the protections afforded to women. Emirati society is also marked by a high degree of faith in the authorities to act appropriately and responsibly. But there is still room for misunderstanding of the law and what society deems acceptable, as the current prosecution suggests, and a national conversation will help ensure that balance is set correctly.