UCC Executive Director Ssewankabo Advises on Data Privacy and Protection

Uganda joined the rest of the world to celebrate the data privacy day, which is held globally on the 28^th January every year. The day purposes to raise awareness and promotes privacy and data protection best practices. The data industry is still new in the world and it grows every other day. In Uganda, until 2011, there was no body responsible for data privacy and protection.

The government through the ministry of ICT established the National Information and Technology Authority- Uganda commonly known as NITA-U.

NITA-U is mandated to coordinate, promote and monitor information and technology developments in Uganda. It works closely with the Uganda Communications Commission headed by Irene Kaggwa Ssewankambo.

As the world becomes more digitized, there is an unavoidable need to login into the different websites and accounts one uses or visits. This leaves a digital footprint, which is used by giant tech companies to promote their businesses.

Through her twitter handle, Irene Kaggwa said every time you go online or operate any device that connects to the Internet, you share data either directly or indirectly.

“Our personal data is collected and processed through channels i.e. at work, by government/ public authorities, health facilities, meeting registers, banks, telecoms, insurance, airline among others.  It could be via visiting a website or app as you e.g. your location, pages or content you regularly visit. Typically, such is differentiated data that exists everywhere else i.e. public and thus freely available.”

It is against this background that there was need to keep track of the data. As a new industry, it had to be controlled. It was against this background that the government had to come up with a law through which it could regulate data.

The data protection and privacy law protects the privacy of the individual and of personal data by regulating the collection and processing of personal information; to provide for the rights of the person whose data processers and data controllers; to regulate the use or disclosure of personal information; for related matters. It was enacted in February in 2019.

To mark the day in Uganda, NITA-U has been running online workshops on the data protection and privacy law passed in 2019.

Kaggwa promised that UCC, in partnership with NITA-U, shall continue working together in promoting data protection and privacy. To create more awareness about data privacy and protection, she shared a link to an article by dale smith through which one can be able to deactivate the data collected by giants like Google. You can check it out here.