Careem announces cyber incident on users’ data

CAIRO - 23 April 2018: Ride-hailing app Careem announced on its website on Monday that it has identified a cyber incident involving unauthorized access to their data storage system. However, they have no evidence of any fraud or misuse of the leaked data.

Careem’s announcement also contained some tips for users to protect their data, credit cards and personal information.

Careem, founded in Dubai in 2012 by Mudassir Sheikha and Magnus Olsson, operates in more than 80 cities in 12 countries across the broader Middle East, including North Africa, Turkey and Pakistan.

The app started operating in Egypt in November 2014, beginning with Cairo and followed by Alexandria and many other Egyptian cities.

Earlier, in March, the Cairo Administrative Court accepted lawsuits demanding the full suspension of activities for the two popular ride-hailing companies, Uber and Careem, in Egypt.

In an attempt to legalize the status of Egypt’s two largest ride-hailing applications, a joint parliamentary committee began discussing a new draft law to regulate the operation of privately owned transport services on March 25.

The Egyptian Cabinet sent the draft law to the House of Representatives on March 21 to be officially approved and ratified, only hours after the Cairo Administrative Court ordered the suspension of the two companies’ licenses in Egypt.