The Data Protection Commission (DPC) will from today commence activities to commemorate the Global Data Protection Week.
The week-long nationwide activities seek to sensitise the public about the importance of data protection and privacy.
Speaking at a press briefing on the celebration, Director of Regulatory and Compliance of the DPC, Dr. Patrick Lebene Adonoo, said the commission would hold a two-day stakeholder engagement in various regions on data protection from January 19 to 22.
He said the commission would further engage students of Senior High Schools (SHS) on data protection on January 25 as well as a float which would start from the Ministry of Communication to the DPC office.
Dr. Adonoo indicated that the activities would be climaxed with a town hall meeting on January 28, which is also the commemoration of the Data Protection Day popularly known as the Data Privacy Day.
The Day is a global event celebrated every year to raise awareness among data subjects and businesses about the importance of protecting privacy as a fundamental human right.
Executive Director of the DPC, Patricia Adusei-Poku, in her address, highlighted some of the achievements of the commission since its establishment by an Act of Parliament in 2012.
She said the commission, mandated to protect the privacy of individuals and their personal data, had over the years put in place measures to ensure compliance in the industry.
The commission, she said, recently launched state-of-the-art registration software for more effective and efficient delivery of its mandate.
“The system automatically assesses your institution’s state of compliance as you complete your form online and presents you with a percentage score against a 100 % weighted state of compliance,” she said.
Madam Adusei-Poku further noted that the Ministry of Communications through the commission had given defaulting data controllers six months amnesty period to register with the commission and pay the current year’s amount due, thereby weaving applicable arrears.
She said the move was to enable all defaulters to take advantage of the period and be in good standing with the commission.
“The DPC is engaging some critical stakeholders in a collaborative effort to set up a public education on the need to protect personal data, and monitor the compliance status of data controllers.
“The DPC and the Internal Audit Agency have signed an MOU in a collaborative effort to train all internal auditors nationwide to expand the scope of the audit to include the requirements of Act 843,” she added.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri