The Personal Data Protection Office held a conference at the Kampala Serena Hotel to celebrate Data Privacy Day. The conference was a climax of week-long activities to mark the day.28th January of each year is celebrated as data privacy day.
The international community uses this day to empower individuals and encourage businesses to respect privacy, safeguard data, and enable trust.
The conference highlighted key issues on data protection and privacy, the role of the Office, and the resources we have developed for individuals, businesses, and government institutions to foster awareness of privacy rights and obligations. The Theme for this year’s data privacy week/day is “Your Privacy Matters”.
Speaking at the conference, Stella Alibateese, the National Director at the Personal Data Protection Office explained the importance of the theme.
“The choice of this theme was deliberate because we believe individuals/data subjects are one of the best tools to ensure compliance to data protection regulation. This is because it’s their data, they are the ones who know who is asking for their information, and who they interact with. Our view, therefore, was that if they are empowered, they will ask the right questions, they will share the gospel if I may use that analogy and ultimately protect their right to privacy. All the above are critical to the delivery of our mandate as the Office”
We encourage those who would like to know more about data protection and privacy and most importantly what their rights are and how they can enforce them to follow us on the various online forums we are on or call us or email us or visit us physically since the country is now open. It is incumbent upon us wherever we are, whatever position we sit to know what our rights are, enforce them and also share the knowledge we have gained.
She further reaffirmed the Personal Data Protection’s office to provide information to data controllers, processors, and data subjects.
“At the Office, we have purposed to provide as much information as possible to data controllers, processors, and data subjects. We are committed to enforcing the law to the best of our abilities. With your support, we shall make great strides towards this goal and ensure that “Our Privacy Matters”. “
In her keynote address, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Uganda, Susan Ngongi Namondo pledged continued support on Data Privacy matters.
“The UN in Uganda pledges continued cooperation and engagement around data privacy with the Government of Uganda and especially through the Personal Data Protection Office to uphold today’s theme. I am also happy to note that the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is collaborating with the Personal Data Protection Office to develop a web-based solution that will allow individuals and organisations to register, report data security breaches, and enable individuals to lodge complaints through convenient channels’’, she shared.
Also present was Dr. Hatwib Mugasa, Executive Director at the National Information Authority – Uganda who in his remarks noted that, “NITA-U designs and develops Government systems that process personal data for the provision of Government services. We uphold principles of data protection and privacy through implementing privacy by design. This way we lead by example to not just as Government but also all actors involved in the technology space in the country.’’
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