NITDA assures alignment of COVID-19 data collection strategies with NDPR guidelines

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5 years ago

The attention of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has said it is drawn to the data collection strategy employed by authorities at Nigeria’s borders and its implication on the rights of data subjects to privacy, in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).

The world is currently faced with a pandemic called COVID-19 and global authorities have been working in concert to defeat this global threat. Nigeria is one of the countries that has become the cynosure of all eyes for how it has managed to keep this and other similar situations under check.

As part of containment strategies, authorities at Nigeria’s entry ports have devised ingenious means of collecting health information from passengers arriving in Nigeria. Their processes include a lot of personal data collection, such as travel history, name, address, phone number, email, destination, etc.

NITDA in a statement made available to Tribune online, said “It is therefore expedient to evaluate the implication of this personal data collection on the rights of data subjects to privacy”.

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NDPR Article 2.2 provides for the basis of processing personal data. Among the bases are- consent, legitimate interest, contractual agreement, legal, public and vital interest.

“The data processing is done by public health officials to contain the COVID-19 pandemic is covered under the VITAL and PUBLIC interest of the data subject and other Nigerians. This position is further reinforced by the provisions of Section 45 of the Nigerian Constitution which limits the right to privacy granted in Section 37”, the statement said.

“In view of the foregoing, NITDA wishes to assure all Nigerians and foreigners that the strategies employed to align with NDPR guidelines as well as the Nigerian Constitution. We, therefore, urge all to fully cooperate with officials who are working hard to keep us safe.

“Furthermore, the Agency remains resolutely committed to enforcing its guidelines and in discharging its mandate for the development of IT in Nigeria. It would, therefore, work with all parties to ensure that the data being collected is processed and stored in compliance with the NDPR”, the statement added.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE