Data controllers to help enforce compliance

Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait says that despite Kenyans identifying issues such as cyber bullying and identity theft, there is still a critical mass of citizens who are unaware of where to report such abuse.

In a 2021 poll conducted by Amnesty International Kenya on the State of Awareness on Data Protection, 67% of people said they were unaware of the Data Protection Act, and that 82% of respondents were unaware of the establishment of the office of the Data Commissioner.

This may be due to a lack of capacity in information dissemination, including making laws easier for common citizens to read and disseminate.

Data Commissioner Director General Immaculate Kassait says those online should look into ways of ensuring their systems and processes are in place and secure to ensure data protection.

She said the office of the Data Commissioner is working to build the capacity of Data Protection officers who will help enforce compliance.

There has been an increase in the number of Kenyans online due affordability of data and internet enabled devices, but this has led to the sharing of more personal information on platforms like social media sites.

The civil society has however warned that over regulation of data may lead to infringement of individual rights and freedoms but continue to call for the public to be vigilant while installing third party application software.

Experts want those mining data to be clear on what the data is being used for.