PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has unveiled the rationale behind the establishment of the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC), explaining that its purpose is to enforce regional and international laws safeguarding the privacy and confidentiality of individuals.

The President made this revelation in Dar es Salaam today during the official launch of the PDPC.

She highlighted that in various instances, individuals have experienced unauthorized disclosure of private information without their consent, resulting in damage to the reputation of many. This necessitated the enactment of the Personal Data Protection Act and the establishment of the commission.

"There have been instances of inadequate management of personal data, which is why Section 16(2) of the constitution includes a limitation clause in certain circumstances. The Personal Data Protection Act guides how personal information should be collected when necessary and for a legitimate purpose to ensure the accuracy of the information," she explained.

President Samia further underlined the importance of prioritizing personal data protection at the regional level. This includes reminding member states about the significance of laws such as the Cybercrime Act, Electronic Transaction Act, and Personal Data Protection Act in safeguarding individuals' rights to data privacy.

She also highlighted the importance of the Malabo Convention (2014) adopted by the African Union as a framework for protecting personal data, promoting cybersecurity, and combating cybercrime to ensure that systems are safeguarded against cyber threats.

Along with that, she also gave some guidelines to commission and the board one being to ensure that all private institutions are registered in the system before December.

Furthermore, she stressed, "It is essential that all data protection officers carry out their duties with professionalism and accuracy. I urge you to stay updated on the commission's progress and provide me with bi-annual implementation reports."

Nape Nnauye, Minister for Information, Communication, and Technology, emphasized that the Personal Data Protection laws and the commission were established to fulfill the CCM election manifesto by implementing relevant regional and national laws.

"We commend your decision to enact this law. Your choice reflects humanity, civilization, and a genuine concern for people's privacy. This is a fulfillment of the promises you made upon assuming office," Nnauye stated.

According to him, whatever one does today lives certain marks that are related to one’s identity, mostly referred as digital footprints that might include voice, fingerprints, face identity, bank information, appearance, work and family background data.

He went on to say, “The potential misuse of this information underscores the importance of Tanzania enacting the Personal Data Protection Act and establishing a commission to enforce this law under the leadership of President Samia. Your personal data and privacy are integral to your dignity, and it is your responsibility to safeguard them at all costs.”

According to him the commission structure and responsibilities will involve data controllers and producers, data protection officers, government electronic payment and gateway, public notification model, permit model, report model, rectification model, data complaints model and human interaction.

Ambassador Adadi Rajabu, Chairperson of the Personal Data Protection Commission board said the main task ahead is to ensure at all cost that they raise awareness to the public on the commission.

The Personal Data Protection Act No.11 was introduced in 2022 and is applicable to Mainland Tanzania and Tanzania Zanzibar with the main objectives of Establishing rules for the protection of personal data in both electronic and non-electronic forms; Minimize the collection and processing of personal data and Create a Commission for the protection of personal data.