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MEDIA Institute of Southern Africa Zimbabwe (MISA) has officially launched the data protection guide to the Zimbabwean Cyber and Data Protection Act of 2022.
The guide has been launched under the theme: “Towards data protection and privacy in Zimbabwe through the Cyber and Data Protection Act”.
Speaking during the launch, MISA chairperson, Golden Maunganidze, said the guide seeks to assist ordinary citizens, data protection advocates, human rights advocates, media organisations, among others, in getting basic understanding and application of the Act.
“Issues of data protection, privacy and online rights are things that each and one of us are living on everyday so the guide is important to everyone.
“The guide will also explain which type of data will be protected in this era where technological gadgets are being used by most people. The guide will also tell what kind of data can be shared by the regulator or authorities,” Maunganidze said.
He also urged the media practitioners to preach the gospel and unpack the Act for everyone to understand.
“As MISA our main worry is to see personal information being protected and also to see people understanding what this Act means to them,” said Maunganidze.
During the same launch, Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) head of legal services, Tsitsi Mariwo, echoed similar sentiments.
“As POTRAZ, we will be conducting comprehensive public awareness programmes on the data protection legal framework, which will educate citizens about the Act.
“I also urge institutions to submit names, and qualifications for individuals, who suit positions of Data Protection Officers,” Mariwo said.
According to the guide, a Data Protection Officer (DPO), is an individual who ensures compliance with obligations of the Act.
Mariwo said POTRAZ will collaborate with different partners to make sure every citizen is able to get and understand the Act.
“This will also be done through the translation of the Act into several local languages,” Mariwo said.
The Act seeks to increase data protection in order to build confidence and trust in the secure use of information and communication technologies by data controllers, their representatives and data subjects.
Media Alliance of Zimbabwe Programmes Manager, Nigel Kabila Nyamutumbu, said this was an important guide to journalists as well.
“The launch is a significant step towards the implementation of the Act because, for the Act in itself to materialise, it ought to be known by the citizens and various sects, including the media,” said Nyamutumbu.
He said during the parliamentary public hearings of the Act, they did not feel comfortable in having the Data Protection Authority being a designated function of the POTRAZ on account of independence, transparency and potential conflict of interests.
He, however, said he appreciated the work that has been done by POTRAZ since the enactment of the Act.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter