Data Privacy Day: Take action and control over your own data.
Yesterday Tuesday 29th January was Data Privacy Day, I’m sure you came across several notifications online especially on Facebook reminding you of this very important day to observe. Data Privacy Day began in the United States and Canada way back in January 2008. It became an extension of the Data Protection Day which commemorates the signing of the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection. Since then, the whole World embraced January 28 as a Data Privacy Day.
The purpose of Data Privacy Day is to raise awareness and promote privacy and data protection best practices globally. The day is celebrated with aims to inspire dialogue and empower individuals and companies to take action in as far as personal data processing is concerned. Millions of people do not care or are ignorant about how their personal information is being used, collected or shared, with the Internet taking over our day to day lives, it should be the responsibility of each to prioritize our data privacy and that of our loved ones. I was explaining to a friend someday why I didn’t have any photo of my family members on my Facebook timeline, but this does not mean you should not share and cherish the moments but rather be aware of the things to share and those not to.
Personal Data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable living individual. Different pieces of information, which collected together can lead to the identification of a particular person constitutes personal data. Information such as names, ID number, address, location or any information held in hospitals, government offices or companies is your personal data and if put together could lead to your identification.
Kenya recently followed the steps of the European Union which for years has become a global reference point for strong data protection rules and enforceable rights for its citizens. President Kenyatta on November 8 last year signed into law the Data Protection Bill 2019. The new data law which establishes the office of the Data Commissioner sets out the requirements for the protection of personal data processed by both public and private entities and outlines key principles that will govern data processing in the country. It sets out the rights of data subjects whose cases will be handled by data controllers and data processors. The law sets data handling offenses and attendant penalties.
CHECK: How to wipe your entire existence off the internet.
Data has become every nation’s new wealth and it is important for everyone and especially the authorities to articulate the rights and freedoms of its citizens on these online spaces and systems, especially now that the country is going through a rapid mobile and digital technology development. There is a need to strengthen the Data protection offices to prevent predatory overstepping by companies, corporations, and organizations and unwarranted invasion of privacy by malicious individuals who may want to manipulate citizens’ data without their permission.
READ: Githeri Man – Proof that you should not go yada yada about Privacy
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