From the moment, Adam and Eve became aware of their vulnerability in the stories of Genesis 3:7, the need for privacy became an inherent part of human existence. Their act of covering themselves with leaves was the beginning of a human’s journey to protect not only their physical bodies but also their spiritual and emotional well-being.
Privacy, in its essence, became a shield against exposure or threats and a boundary to preserve a person’s dignity. This need for protection became even more pronounced after World War II, culminating in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948, which recognized privacy as a fundamental human right.
In today’s interconnected world, the concept of privacy has expanded into a new realm called the digital world where our lives are increasingly reflected in a digital form. This digital form is what many refer to as DATA.
This data is more than just numbers and text; it is a reflection of our identities, behaviours, preferences, and relationships. From online shopping habits and social media interactions to health records and financial transactions, our thoughts, habits and identities are generated and stored daily for various uses.
Data indeed is a digital reflection of ourselves. The use of these data may be malicious or helpful. Therefore, the need to safeguard our digital privacy is not just a technical challenge but also a fundamental human necessity.
The beauty of our new world is that nearly every scroll, click, swipe, and transaction generates data, and personal information that become valuable assets for making lives easier not just for businesses and governments, but for individuals as well. Data has become a catalyst for innovation, convenience, and progress. It empowers us to make informed decisions, connect with others, and once unimaginable access services.
However, when data falls into the wrong hands, it becomes a destructive tool. Individuals, and organizations, face risks of Identity theft, financial fraud, and reputational damage, just to mention a few. This is why it has become important to protect DATA. Just as Adam and Eve covered themselves to shield their physical vulnerability, we are now compelled to cover our digital selves with ‘materials’ such as encryption, passwords, and privacy protocols.
As Data Protection and Privacy Week 2025 kicks off this week, the call to safeguard personal information is getting louder than ever. This year’s Data Protection and Privacy Week 2025, themed “Protecting Privacy, Empowering People”, is a rallying cry for individuals, organizations, and governments to take collective action in securing data and empowering individuals to take control of their digital lives.
Governments around the world are stepping up to address these challenges through robust data protection laws. The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the United States’ California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and Ghana’s Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) are leading examples of frameworks designed to safeguard personal information.
In Ghana, the Data Protection Commission has been leading various campaigns to educate citizens on their rights and responsibilities as far as data protection and privacy is concerned. The Data Protection Commission (DPC) is the Regulatory body in Ghana responsible for enforcing compliance and investigating breaches. Organizations are encouraged to adhere to their data processing rules and protocols.
As a Certified Data Protection Practitioner, I have come to the understanding that Data protection is built on four tenets Transparency, Consent, Accountability and Purposefulness.
To understand how these tenets work to ensure a safe ecosystem for our data, we must be familiar with terms such as Data Subject, Data Processor and Data Controller. While the Data Subject is the individual whose information is collected, the Data Controller is the one who determines how the data should be used. For example, a bank, as a Data Controller, can collect customer information to open an account or give a loan facility.
A Data Processor on the other hand is an entity or individual that processes personal data on behalf of the data controller. Thus they are instructed by Data Controllers on how the data should be used. For example, a cloud storage provider such as Google, or Amazon that hosts customer data for a business takes instructions from the Controller.
In respecting the tenets of Data Protection, Data Processors and Controllers hold the responsibility of ensuring that they clearly explain to their Data Subjects and Regulators how data is collected and used.
The Data Controller must ensure they receive the Consent of Data Subjects before collecting or gathering their data. By ensuring Transparency data must be processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner.
Data Controllers and Processors should be held accountable for breaches in the course of managing people’s data. Only the data necessary for specific purposes should be collected to ensure purposefulness.
It should not be that data collected from a Patient in a hospital should be in the hands of an insurance company! Unauthorized sharing of such data especially with third parties like insurance companies without the patient’s explicit consent violates data protection principles and can lead to serious ethical and legal consequences. Above all people have the right to access, correct, or delete their data. This is what I would call the golden rule that puts power back into the hands of the data subject and holds organizations accountable for how they handle data.
Businesses, healthcare providers, and financial institutions any entity that collects and processes people’s data have a critical role to play as gatekeepers of our personal information. To meet this responsibility, organizations must invest in technical safeguards such as Encryption, firewalls, and other cybersecurity measures to prevent breaches.
And as individuals, we have the responsibility to decide who we provide certain vital information about ourselves to and why. We need to know how to protect ourselves especially online. We have to avoid sharing sensitive information on unsecured platforms; we need to use strong passwords and change them regularly. We need to regularly check and update privacy settings on social media and other platforms and report any suspicious activities on our platforms.
Data protection should not be seen as just a law, but it should be a way of life; a culture we must all adopt with collective efforts of safeguarding ourselves.
As Data Protection and Privacy Week 2025 unfolds, the message is clear: Your data is your power. By protecting it, we not only safeguard our identities but also pave the way for a safer, more trustworthy digital future.
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The writer, King Nobert Akpablie is a Communications Specialist and Data Protection Practitioner.
You can reach him for further comments by calling/WhatsApp at +233 241145874 or via email: kingnobert2@gmail.com
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