Protection of personal data still substandard - Report

The findings were part of the recent data protection needs assessment report which was undertaken by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

The report was conducted towards the end of last year and it showed that the majority of data protection officers had not encountered breaches.

This finding alarmed sector players who question how data protection officers are unable to identify problems that come with their line of work.

Today, data is the new gold because it facilitates decision-making in private and public sectors. It also drives innovation and creates new business opportunities on top of improving service delivery.

However, it is crucial to protect data from falling into unknown hands and to ensure that individual privacy is respected.

This was one of the proceedings of the second Data Protection conference which is part of the activities to mark International Data Privacy Day.

Speaking at the conference, Godfrey Kabbyanga, the State Minister for ICT and National Guidance said that there was an incident during the pandemic when investors tried to steal more data after getting the specified data they asked for.

“During Covid-19, some investors wanted to give assistance to Ugandans, so they wanted telephone numbers of the poor in one of the regions, and the regulator, Uganda Communications Commission gave the investor permission to get that data from one of the telecom companies,” Kabbyanga said.

However, the investors went to the mast and collected huge data which was not in line with what they wanted. The government was able to retrieve the data and retain the excess they had taken.

He added that data privacy is critical in the country because of the increasing use of technology. He said that so many people want access to this data because it is seen as a tradable asset.

Markets for personal information are emerging which require tough measures to protect data.

Hatwib Mugasa, the executive director, NITA – Uganda, said the report has provided valuable insight into the state of data protection and privacy training in the country while indicating where more resources are needed.

At the centre of this endeavor are data protection officers who are the point of contact in different organisations. Mugasa said that training them will boost their organisations for higher awareness and compliance.