Pantami charges NITDA to engage FACEBOOK on data policy regulation on WHATSAPP 

By Odimmegwa Johnpeter, Abuja

The Federal Government has directed the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to vigorously engage with facebook to understand the processes, level of security, etc. of the data of Nigerian users in order to ensure that policies proposed for Nigeria strictly adhere to provisions of Nigerian Data Policy Regulation (NDPR). The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, noted that the action is a demonstration of his commitment to upholding the data privacy of Nigerians. The Minister in a statement by the Technical Assistant on Information Technology, Dr. Femi Adeluyi, on Friday noted that WhatsApp recently indicated that users who refuse to accept their revised privacy policy risk not being able to use the service. He maintained that having released the Nigeria Data Protection Regulations (NDPR) in 2019, the government remains committed to upholding the data privacy of Nigerians.

The minister assured Nigerians that the federal government will give uttermost attention to the privacy of their data, in line with the NDPR and the National Digital Economy Policy for a Digital Nigeria.

The statement reads in part: “The attention of the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has been brought to the updated Privacy Policy of the WhatsApp messaging application.

“The Policy states that WhatsApp will share information about the users on their platform with their parent company (Facebook), as well as other Facebook companies.

“The information includes user phone numbers, “transaction data, service-related information, information on how you interact with others (including businesses) when using our Services, mobile device information, your IP address.

“Furthermore, WhatsApp has indicated that users who refuse to accept their revised privacy policy risk not being able to use the service at all.

“The Federal Government released the Nigeria Data Protection Regulations (NDPR) in 2019 and is committed to upholding the data privacy of Nigerians.  We are also aware that the European region is exempt from the provisions of the updated Policy, and it is also being challenged in a number of countries.

“The Minister has, therefore, directed the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), as the Regulator of the Information Technology sector, to engage vigorously with Facebook to understand the processes, level of security, etc. of the data of Nigerian users in order to ensure that Policies proposed for Nigeria strictly adhere to the provisions of NDPR.

“Nigerians can be assured that the Federal Government will give uttermost attention to the privacy of their data, in line with the NDPR and the National Digital Economy Policy for a Digital Nigeria.”