The Data Protection Commission will from Monday January 28 to Friday February 1, 2018, participate in the Global Data Protection Week.
The week, which is themed ‘A New Chapter in Enforcing Accountability and Empowering Data Subjects’, will also be marked with activities across various parts of the country.
More personal data that uniquely identifies a living individual such as name, date of birth, identity numbers (NHIS, DVLA), biometric data etc. is being used in electronic form, and shared at speed and in high volumes across all business sectors including civil society making it difficult to control.
The Right to have privacy is globally accepted as a fundamental Human Right. With this, personal data in the wrong hands can cause great harm, damage and distress; which is why it is important that measures are put in place to safeguard personal data from accidental loss, unauthorized disclosure and unlawful use.
Data Protection Week offers a valuable opportunity to inform and empower people in Ghana (known as Data Subjects) of their Rights under the Data Protection Act 2012 (Act 843), and how to exercise these Rights; including how to seek redress such as compensation.
During the week, businesses that process people’s personal data (known as Data Controllers) will gain insight into their obligations under the Data Protection Act 2012 (Act 843); which include registering with DPC and renewing every 2 years to enable support and guidance from DPC. Failure to do so could result in enforcement action.
Line up of activities
Activities taking place across the country to celebrate Global Data Protection Week 2019 include the celebration of Global Data Protection Day to include Interviews with data protection/data privacy professionals, articles and news bulletins across media platforms.
From 29th to 30th January, there would be a launch of the National Youth Sensitization program, starting with regional sensitization events in selected schools in the Western, Northern, and Ashanti regions, aiming to enlighten digitally savvy youth about privacy and data protection Rights, and empower them to champion the program themed #MyDataMyPrivacyGH
There will be Regional events including an interactive Radio/TV program focusing on Data Privacy, Accountability and Privacy Rights of Data Subjects etc.
On February 6, 2019, there would be a formal opening of a new Data Commission Office, unveiling of new brand identity and launch of the 2019 work plan and National Awareness Campaign through youth sensitization.
The Data Protection Commission (DPC) is a statutory body established under the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843), to protect the privacy of the individual by regulating the processing of personal information, while empowering individuals to effectively protect their personal information.
Participants of the Data Protection Week will include individuals, the youth, government officials, MMDAs, policy makers and regulators, businesses, local entrepreneurs, tech leaders, media houses, journalists, education establishments among others.
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By: citinewsroom.com | Ghana
