Tanzania inaugurates data protection commission ahead of digital ID rollout

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has officially unveiled the country’s Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC), urging businesses and organizations processing personal data to strictly summit to the authority of the body.

The inauguration ceremony took place April 3 at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Center in the capital Dar es Salaam

The data protection authority, the president said, has been put in place to ensure that the dignity and privacy of Tanzanians, as reflected in their data, is protected, Citizen Tanzania reports. It will ensure the implementation of the Personal Data Protection Act which went into effect in 2022.

The body, she noted, will work to ensure that incidents happening in other parts of the world involving the leakage of personal information do not occur in Tanzania.

She also mentioned instances of “private companies seeking personal information of individuals against people’s rights and using that information for their commercial interests,” and examples of “malicious acts where individuals have hacked systems and collected personal data.”

In her remarks, the president also emphasized the importance of integrating all government agencies in a bid to have an effective digital government by the end of this year. This is a call she has made in previous outings.

The unveiling of the PDPC comes at a time when Tanzania plans to switch to a national digital ID system dubbed “Jamii Namba” which will include the issuing of unique identification numbers (NINs) to citizens and facilitate how they access important public services.

Early this year, the government reiterated its desire to fully integrate AI into its digital government plan in order to streamline the delivery of public services.

It is hoped that the Personal Data Protection Commission is expected to get to work immediately with bold actions that will ensure the protection of citizens’ data in various areas including in the SIM card registration process where a report released last year found serious data protection loopholes.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  data protection  |  digital ID  |  Jamii Number  |  Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC)  |  Tanzania