Data Privacy: FG Investigates Two Popular Mobile Applications Over Alleged Breach
- The federal government has beamed its searchlight on two popular apps as it seeks to end data privacy breaches
- The findings from this investigation will determine the next line of action from the Nigeria Data Protection Commission
- The NDPC has said it is ready to work with them to resolve any issues, but would not hesitate to impose tough sanctions
Legit.ng journalist Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon has over a decade of experience in business reporting across digital and mainstream media.
The Nigeria Data Protection Commission is currently investigating two international mobile applications over issues of Data privacy.
The two applications – Tiktok and Truecaller – are being investigated over alleged data breaches, and the NDPC has promised to ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act.
National Commissioner and CEO of NDPC, Dr. Vincent Olatunji noted that the commission was ready to take every necessary action to ensure compliance, even if it involved Multinationals.
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Data Privacy Act: FG goes tough on businesses, launches tool for Nigerians to report breach
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Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, Dr. Olatunji promised that regulatory actions would be taken based on the findings.
NDPC is ready to work with businesses that comply
Dr. Olatunji noted that the findings would determine if the mobile applications would be asked to go through remediation and do things the right way.
He remarked that the commission would be happy to work with those companies that comply with Nigeria’s Data Protection Act, the PUNCH reports.
He narrated that even though only 4% of businesses in Nigeria were compliant when the NDPC started monitoring adherence to data protection regulations, the compliance levels have now grown to over 55%.
According to Dr. Olatunji, the commission does not start imposing sanctions right away, but adopts remediation, giving businesses specific corrective measures to address their breaches within a specific timeframe.
The NDPC also assesses the severity of the breach, the number of people affected and its potential impact on Nigeria’s economy.
After resolution, monitoring continues for up to twelve months to ensure full and continual compliance, and the company is expected to provide a detailed record of its data processing activities after correcting the issues.
NDPC to address data breaches
Olatunji noted that most breaches in the past were due to ignorance of the regulations, but that would no longer be the case now that the Nigeria Data Protection Act – General Application and Implementation Directive, has been introduced.
For businesses that comply, the NDPC would work peacefully with them, but when the situation calls for stronger measures, the commission would not hesitate.
Source: UGC
He further stated that while the commission is open to remediation, it will not hesitate to dish out tough sanctions.
The issue of data privacy has been on the front burner for a while, especially after a popular fintech lost billions of naira in a breach last year.
Even the National Bureau of Statistics suffered a breach that led to the loss of its website to hackers in December 2024.
NDPC launches tool for users to report data breach
In related news, the federal government has launched the Nigerian Data Protection Act General Application and Implementation Directive (NDP ACT-GAID).
The Act includes provisions that cover areas like Lawful Bases of Data Processing, Data Protection Principles, Data Subjects’ Rights, Material and Territorial Scope of the NDP Act Data Ethics and Emerging Technologies like Artificial Intelligence.
The implementation and application guide for businesses will protect customers from data breaches and provide them with a tool to report it when it occurs.
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Source: Legit.ng
