The Data Protection Agency is advocating for harsh punishment to companies and individuals that fail to protect the privacy of their customers.
This follows complaints of unwarranted text messages as well as emails from unauthorized sources.
According to the agency, companies and individuals that fail to protect the privacy of their consumers must be punished to deter others from doing same.
In an interview with Citi Business News, the Executive Director of the Data Protection Agency, Teki Akuetteh Falconer said companies and individuals who fail to adopt strict measures to protect their customers should be made to pay significant sums to keep them on their toes.
“Sometimes the consequence for not doing the right thing and the punishment that goes with it does not commensurate the actual laws and so people and organizations do not feel the need to protect personal data”, she stressed.
“If for instance I am providing a certain service and I know that there is no strong punishment to be held against me should certain information get out, I will not be bothered, she added.
Mrs. Falconer further suggested that companies that fall short in protecting data of their customers should be made to pay large sums of money as is done in counties like America.
“Let me tell you why especially in data protection in other jurisdictions its very stiff. For instance if you sell someone’s information you can do so for millions of dollars and it jeopardizes your right and mine. However if the punishment for selling the information is let’s say USD 200,000 then what’s the point because I can sell the information and then I will pay the USD 200,000 and I will still make profit , so we must make sure that the risk involved in offending the consumer is very high to ensure that they are adequately protected,” she noted.
The celebration of World Consumer Rights Day which comes off on the 15th of March every year saw various stake holders in Ghana pushing for a law on consumer rights.
–
By: Anita Arthur/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
