The biggest challenge to conducting background investigations in the Middle East is collecting reliable information in the most efficient manner. In the United Arab Emirates, data protection laws permit investigators to process sensitive personal information such as criminal history data. Reputable screening firms in the Middle East will also comply with regional privacy laws (such as the EU data protection directive) by appointing an internal Data Protection Officer (DPO) whose primary responsibility is to conduct independent audits of the firms various information processing operations which handle customer and employee data.