Egypt forces Uber to share data with security agencies

The Egyptian Parliament yesterday passed a law which would force ride-sharing companies Uber and Careem to share users’ private information with state security agencies, Quds Press reported.

According to articles 9 and 10 of the new law, ride-sharing firms must keep the personal data of the users for 180 days and make this information available to security bodies should they be requested to do so.

Some members of Egypt’s House of Representatives objected to the controversial clauses, but the majority of lawmakers passed the bill.

The law’s opponents argue that it is not constitutional for the security agencies to access citizens’ personal data without judicial permission.

Read: Egyptian court allows Uber and Careem to continue operations

Uber has said Egypt is its largest market in the Middle East, with 157,000 drivers in 2017 and four million users since its launch there in 2014.

The new law also stipulates that ride-sharing companies obtain five-year renewable licences for a fee of 30 million Egyptian pounds ($1.71 million) and that drivers pay annual fees to obtain special licences to work with the company.