NASS Mulls Review Of Data Protection Act To Curb New Threats

The National Assembly has said it is making efforts to review the National Data Protection Act (2023) to address emerging threats posed by technological advancement.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, Sen. Afolabi Salisu (APC, Ogun) said this at the opening of a three-day workshop on data protection awareness promotion in Abuja on Tuesday.

The workshop is organised by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and Ampersand Development Partners for the Joint National Assembly Committee on ICT.

Salisu said since the enactment of the Act in 2023, there have been new developments, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the United Nations Convention on Cyber Crimes.

He stated that there is a nexus between data governance and cybercrime, hence the need to review the Act and strengthen handshakes where necessary.

Salisu emphasised the need to ensure the country’s security, particularly in cyberspace, data governance, and technological advancement, such as AI.

“As legislators, we need to know about data privacy and protection for us to be able to legislate in that area effectively.

“You cannot legislate in an area that you are not sufficiently knowledgeable in; this workshop allows us to build our capacity to understand modern principles of data protection and to be in a position to review the National Data Protection Act.

“It has been three years down the line, how has this law addressed the needs of the nation, particularly given the emerging technologies and how it compares with other countries.

“At the end of this exercise, we would be able to come up with a roadmap, a timeline, with a view to reviewing the National Data Protection Act,” he said.

Salisu tasked all Nigerians with protecting their private data, saying it is the duty of all citizens to safeguard their data.

According to him, many free public Wi-Fi and Apps are not always free, as users pay with their data and are exposed to ads without knowing it.

For his part, the chairman of the House Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, Hon. Stanley Olajide (APC- Oyo), said that data is gold and that Nigeria’s next prosperity would not be oil but data.

Olajide said no investor would bring foreign funds or capital into Nigeria without ensuring that the right data protection law is in place, which Nigeria has.

“Whatever data that we have is our sovereign wealth, and it is something that belongs to us. How do we protect it? We have to make sure the right legal frameworks are in place so that, once bridged, you can hold entities, corporations, and countries accountable when they breach your data law.

“In the U.S., they have their data law; if you put anything in their cloud, it is owned by the United States. So we also need something here.

“Anything that resides here in Nigeria and is generated here must be home and protected by our country; so we are put in the right laws and framework in place just to do that,” he added.