Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The National Communication Authority (NCA) in collaboration with ICT for Development Network South Sudan have yesterday launched a one day consultative workshop on data protection validation to
discuss legal framework, ensure public safety and promote the development use of telecom and ICT. In his opening remark, the Director General of National Communication Authority Napoleon Adok Gai said it was vital to put
laws in place to protect people from cybercrime by creating digital awareness so that people could understand the limitations and the risks associated.
“It’s no longer just a necessity, but an urgent matter as South Sudan embraces the use of various ICT services; it will have to
put in places laws to protect the public and public properties like financial sector, communication, transport, health and education system from cyber
adversaries and criminals,” he said. “Create awareness about digital rights and its limitations and challenges in its education system so that we have citizens who
know their digital rights and how to protect it.” He also added that use of ICT services had become a determining factor in economic growth of any nation adding that South Sudan made a u-turn
by digitalizing it system such as electronic tax return, e-visa among others which had generated non-revenue collection three fold. Meanwhile, UNESCO Education Specialist Tap Pant Raj
stated that when draft bill was passed into law, it would be important to create awareness to general public in local languages through formats or mediaaccessible to all.
“After all consultations are done, I want to urge all stakeholders, with the leadership of the NCA to move the draft bill forward
to have it passed into law with aim to have a valid document that can be used nationwide,” Raj demanded. The event was organized by ICT for Development
Network South Sudan with a support from United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Data protection validation bill aims at providing
mechanism for data protection during its creation, processing, storage and retrieval cycles and bring enforcement actions to protect consumers against
deceptive practices. It was initiated in 2019 through views collection to generate sufficient public input and is expected to be submit to relevant legal
authority and the parliament. So far, South Sudan has no data protection authority and no data protection law that regulates the collection, storage and use of personal data by governments and the private sector.
