Bahamas MPs examine new data protection bill with novelties

The government of the Bahamas has hailed a new Data Protection Bill which is currently in parliament as a major step towards a more responsible and trusted digital transformation process.

As reported by The Tribune, the draft text was brought to Parliament recently by Prime Minister Philip Davis who assured that the move is intended to given citizens more control over their personal data as the country carries on with its digital transformation ambitions. The draft text is said to have already been passed by the lower chamber of parliament.

The PM had earlier spoken about the bill when it was first tabled in parliament last month, explaining its scope and impact. He said it would enable the country be a leader in the big data epoch.

The draft law seeks to replace the old Data Protection Act of 2003 which the government believes falls short of the exigencies of the current digital landscape.

The new bill, unlike the old one, expands the rights of Bahamians over their data in terms of rights and complaint mechanisms, and gives them a bigger say about how their data should be collected, stored, managed or deleted. For businesses, it introduces stronger compliance obligations that align with international standards in the domain, to prevent illegal data harvesting.

Another novelty in the new draft legislation is the establishment of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, and provisions regarding the transfer of personal data out of the borders of Bahamas.

“Every day, our people are online conducting business, banking, shopping, learning, communicating and working. All of this involves the collection, sharing and handling of personal information. This new bill represents a critical step forward in protecting all this data,” Davis is quoted by The Tribune as saying.

When eventually enacted, the government hopes to have the legislation implemented in a phased manner, to allow stakeholders get used to the new dispensation in order to facilitate compliance.

One of the areas which the new legislation is expected to be positively felt is the country’s biometric voting system, Eyewitness News reports. In addition to the data protection draft legislation, the government has also tabled some bills including one on electoral reforms including the introduction of biometric voter cards to be produced by security printing firm Canadian Bank Note.

As part of the preparation for the new biometric voting experience, the Parliamentary Registration Department has been leading an awareness campaign to inform citizens about it. It has been holding townhalls, with a recent one taking place in the island of Grand Bahama to let the people have information about the importance of biometric voter registration, according to public broadcaster ZNS TV.

In August, a senator in the country urged the government to consider introducing biometrics for birth registration, arguing that if biometrics can be incorporated into the process of producing voter ID cards and passport, it is also important for civil registration.

Article Topics

Bahamas  |  biometric data  |  biometrics  |  cross-border data sharing  |  data protection  |  digital government  |  digital identity  |  legislation  |  voter registration