Businesses urged to strengthen personal data protection - Punch Newspapers

Technology experts have called for stronger and more practical approaches to protecting personal information as Nigerians increasingly depend on digital platforms for banking, education, employment, shopping and business transactions. The call comes amid growing concerns over how organisations collect, store and use personal data belonging to customers, employees and other members of the public. From school registration portals and job applications to fintech platforms and merchant accounts, Nigerians routinely provide organisations with personal information, including names, telephone numbers, identification documents, financial details and other sensitive records. A Lagos-based technology entrepreneur, Abraham Tanta, said organisations needed to treat the protection of such information as an everyday business responsibility rather than an issue that received attention only during audits or after a data breach. “It starts with a person. Then their information becomes part of your business. A name becomes an account. An account becomes a record,” Tanta said.See more Punch stories on Google.Add Punch on Google He said inadequate handling of personal information could expose individuals to unwanted communications, fraudulent activities and other forms of misuse. The Nigeria Data Protection Act places responsibilities on organisations that collect and process personal data, requiring them to establish appropriate measures for protecting information and respecting the rights of individuals. However, Tanta noted that there could be a gap between what organisations state in their privacy policies and what they are able to demonstrate through their records and day-to-day practices. Against this background, Asiri, a Lagos-based data protection technology platform developed by Tanta Innovative, is seeking to help organisations organise their data protection activities and maintain evidence of their compliance processes. NGX widens capital market access via messaging service $3bn cybercrime losses raise business security concerns inDrive urges private sector to support tech talent The platform provides tools for maintaining privacy records, managing requests from individuals, documenting incidents and organising evidence that can be reviewed by organisations and their compliance advisers. One of its features, Eri, allows users to ask questions about an organisation’s privacy position and identify records supporting the information provided. The company said the tool was not intended to replace lawyers, Data Protection Officers or other professionals responsible for providing regulatory or legal advice. Tanta said the emphasis should be on making data protection an operational function within organisations. “Data protection has to become operational. Businesses need systems that help them know what they have, what they have done and what evidence exists to support their claims,” he said. Asiri also provides a platform through which organisations can work with licensed Data Protection Compliance Organisations and Data Protection Officers. The company clarified that it was not itself a licensed DPCO and did not file regulatory returns on behalf of organisations, stressing that such responsibilities remained with the appropriate professionals and officers. The development comes as Nigeria’s digital economy continues to expand, with personal information increasingly becoming an important part of everyday transactions. For individuals, the issue goes beyond compliance documents, as customers want to know who has access to their information, how it is being used and whether organisations can account for their data when something goes wrong. Tanta said the long-term objective should therefore be to build a culture in which businesses could demonstrate how they handled personal information rather than simply declaring that they had appropriate policies in place. Asiri’s approach reflects a broader shift in Nigeria’s data protection environment, where organisations are increasingly expected to demonstrate not only that policies exist but also that they are being implemented in practice. Justice Okamgba Justice has over three years experience spanning digital and print media. At The PUNCH, he currently covers the automobile sector with special interest in features and industry analysis.

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