Fresh data protection campaign targets digital lenders
Ugandans are increasingly sharing personal information through mobile phones, banking platforms, online shopping, social media, schools, hospitals and other digital services.
Gilbert Ssettuuma a Legal Officer handling Compliance & Investigations at the PDPO Uganda. (Courtesy)
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Uganda’s Personal Data Protection Office (PDPO) has intensified efforts to improve data protection in the financial sector, with the regulator warning money lenders and microfinance institutions against the unlawful collection and sharing of customers’ personal information.
The PDPO observes that the rapid growth of technology, artificial intelligence and digital services makes data protection increasingly important to Africa’s digital transformation.
Ugandans are increasingly sharing personal information through mobile phones, banking platforms, online shopping, social media, schools, hospitals and other digital services.
Gilbert Ssettuuma a Legal Officer handling Compliance & Investigations at the PDPO Uganda, said the financial sector requires particular attention because personal data is central to lending operations.
“We realised that in the microfinance sector or in the money-lending sector, data is so pertinent to the operation. It's not just peripheral to what they do, but it's the hinge of all what they get to do,” Ssetumma said.
Ssettuuma said the regulator’s role includes ensuring that institutions entrusted with personal information understand their obligations under Uganda’s data protection framework.
“It is part of our mandate to see to it that Ugandans are aware of this law and to see to it that people are trained on the best practices on how to handle Ugandans' personal data,” he said.
The regulator said complaints concerning the misuse of personal information have increasingly involved the microfinance and money-lending sector.
Ssettuuma said some people receive calls and text messages about loans they do not know about after their contact information is allegedly shared with lenders without their consent.
He said the PDPO is using targeted training to help companies comply before complaints escalate into investigations.
“Ours is not only to investigate and issue decisions on those complaints but also to see to it that people are aware of what the law says,” Ssettuuma said.
Kaleba Hannington, the Mogo, Head of Legal said the training was intended to build a culture of privacy, accountability and lawful data processing.
“The training is important because we want to instil a culture whereby privacy, accountability and lawful use is part of our culture,” Hannington said.
He said lenders handle information including national identification details, residency information, addresses and guarantor details.
“As custodian of that private information, that information is the right of the data subject alone, not information to be shared with the entire world,” he said.