Asking customers to hand over their personal details and phone number at bars, cafés, restaurants and hotels “violates their right to privacy” according to Alfonso Rodríguez, Spokesperson for the Consumers Association in the Balearics.
Law firms agree with Consubal and Jorge Sainz de Baranda, from FMSB Abogados says the rule is ridiculous.
"It violates privacy and makes no sense, especially when customers who are inside the premises are asked to identify themselves, but clients on the terraces are not,” he said. “We consider it discriminatory and a copy of the rule for guests staying in accommodation, which is not the same as insisting on identification at restaurants."
Consubal has already contacted mercantile lawyers and asked them to analyse the details.
“It’s an outrage,” blasts Rodríguez. “We are totally against it and our teams of lawyers are waiting for it to be published in the BOCAIB so that they can study the fine print.”
Data Protection
“If a restaurant wants to be able to demand personal information from customers it has to register with the Data Protection Office and a person from the establishment has to be responsible for the information that is collected on the premises,” adds Rodríguez.
Law firms and Consubal point out that "there has to be another way to protect people in catering establishments."
“The Government says the personal data provided by customers will only be used by the Ministry of Health if someone later tests positive for coronavirus, but there are no guarantees."
Health Minister Patricia Gómez said on Friday that no date has been set for the implementation of track and trace measures at bars, restaurants, cafés and hotels and stressed that identifying customers is necessary "because they haven’t been wearing their masks for a long time,” but she didn’t explain why the same measure is not being implemented on terraces.