Isa Pantami tackles WhatsApp over new updated policy

Admin l Friday, May 21, 2021

 

ABUJA, Nigeria – The Federal Government of Nigeria has expressed reservation with WhatsApp over its recent updated policies.   WhatsApp has said that it will share information about the users on their platform with their parent company (Facebook), as well as other Facebook companies.

According to WhatsApp,  the information to be shared  includes user phone numbers, “transaction data, service-related information, information on how you interact with others (including businesses) when using our Services, mobile device information, your IP address”.

WhatsApp  also said that users who refuse to accept their revised privacy policy risk not being able to use the services.

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But in a statement, Dr Femi Adeluyi, Technical Assistant (Information Technology) to the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami said the Federal Government released the Nigeria Data Protection Regulations (NDPR) in 2019 and is committed to upholding the data privacy of Nigerians.

“We are also aware that the European region is exempt from the provisions of the updated Policy and it is also being challenged in a number of countries”, he said.

According to him, the minister has therefore directed the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), as the Regulator of the Information Technology sector, to engage vigorously with Facebook to understand the processes, level of security, etc of the data of Nigerian users in order to ensure that Policies proposed for Nigeria strictly adhere to the provisions of NDPR.

Nigerians can be assured that the Federal Government will give uttermost attention to the privacy of their data, in line with the NDPR and the National Digital Economy Policy for a Digital Nigeria.