Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has issued warning to individuals who take pictures and video footage of unsuspecting members of the general public and share on social media platforms.
In a statement by Babatunde Bamigboye-Head of Legal, Enforcement and Regulation, NDPC notes that these acts violate the rights of citizens to informational self-determination as guaranteed under S.37 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDP Act).
Referencing the recent case of a content creator in Lagos State who stood by the roadside to create a “reality show” of unsuspecting members of the general public, the Commission maintains that such actions raises concerns about abuse of rights in the name of entertainment. Processing the images of people, in this circumstance, requires consent unless the creator can justify her actions under other lawful bases of data processing.
National Commissioner/CEO of the Commission, Dr Vincent Olatunji, has directed platform owners: TikTok, X, and Meta, to step up enforcement of community guidelines with a view to preventing harm to individuals through unlawful and unfair processing of personal data.
NDPC further warns that where a platform owner fails or neglects to act timeously in addressing harms, the Commission will not hesitate to impose appropriate sanctions under the NDP Act.
Also, individual content creators are accountable for their acts and omissions, and may be liable to criminal prosecution for violating the privacy rights of citizens and other data subjects in Nigeria.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
