Data Protection Day 2020
On 28 January 1981, the Council of Europe opened the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data for signature. It became the first binding international instrument to protect individuals against abuses which may accompany the collection and processing of personal data. Since then 55 states, including 9 non-European states have ratified the Convention.
On 28 January 2006, the Council of Europe began celebrating Data Protection Day to commemorate the Convention. We now celebrate today as a day of international awareness and promotion of privacy and data protection best practices. While this is a European initiative, data protection is a global issue, and enhancing an understanding of data protection is important for everyone.
Today, ALT Advisory encourages everyone to learn more about the data protection landscape in Africa through Data Protection Africa (DPA). DPA recognises that Africa is digitally transforming which means there is a need, now more than ever, to ensure that people understand their rights and empower themselves to advocate for innovate and rights-based solutions to the challenges created by the digital transformation DPA is an online open-access portal that provides information on data protection laws and access to data protection authorities in 31 African countries.
Take some time today, on Data Protection Day, to learn more about data protection in Africa and become an informed and empowered data privacy activist.
Please note: The information contained in this note is for general guidance on matters of interest, and does not constitute legal advice. For any enquiries, please contact us at [email protected].
