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| Photo by appshunter.io on Unsplash |
In this century we live in, it is almost impossible to separate our digital lives from our everyday lives. For billions of people worldwide, including millions in Africa and Nigeria, the internet shapes how we work, communicate, learn, and participate in society. Every message sent, post shared, or transaction made generates data: data that, without safeguards, can be collected, analysed, or exploited. Protecting digital rights, particularly privacy and freedom of expression, is therefore essential for human dignity and democracy.
Across Africa, data protection transcends national borders. This is why the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo Convention) has provided a shared legal framework obliging states to regulate the collection, storage, and transfer of personal data. This convention enshrines principles such as proportionality, purpose limitation, and security, ensuring personal data is processed fairly, transparently, and for clear purposes.
In Nigeria, the Data Protection Act (NDPA 2023), enforced by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), gives citizens concrete rights: access to personal data, the right to correction, and the right to revoke consent. The NDPC has already launched investigations into organisations suspected of violations and has partnered with civil society to strengthen a culture of digital protection.
As African nations ratify and implement these standards, citizens gain stronger protection against the misuse of their digital lives.
The Big Question: Who Controls Your Data?
Global tech platforms provide convenience but also control massive amounts of personal data. Algorithms determine the content we see, the ads we receive, and sometimes our access to services. Regulatory action, like the fine against Meta for violating Nigerian data laws, shows oversight works, but vigilance remains essential.
Governments deploy surveillance tools and national digital ID systems that centralise sensitive data, increasing the risk of misuse or exclusion. Artificial Intelligence now drives decisions in credit, employment, and public services without clear explanations, leaving individuals unable to challenge outcomes. Together, these trends show why adequate digital protections are urgent.
What are these digital threats?
Excessive Data Collection: Some apps gather more personal information than necessary, often hidden in long terms of service.
Limited Awareness: Many citizens remain unaware of their rights under NDPA and related frameworks.
Opaque AI Decisions: Automated systems make impactful decisions without transparency, creating risks of bias or unfair outcomes.
Centralised Data Risks: National ID and other centralised databases expose sensitive information if security fails.
Protecting Digital Rights: What Governments Should Do
Strengthen data authorities, such as the NDPC, with the resources to audit, enforce, and sanction violators.
Require transparency in AI systems and provide mechanisms for individuals to challenge automated decisions.
Limit surveillance powers through independent oversight and legal boundaries.
Promote regional data sovereignty with secure local infrastructure and alignment to AU-level frameworks.
Protecting Digital Rights: What Individuals Should Do
Own your digital footprint by reviewing app permissions, set strong passwords, and enable two-factor authentication.
Demand clarity: ask services how they use your data and exercise your rights to access, correct, or delete information.
Be privacy-conscious: use encrypted tools, limit oversharing, and think carefully before consenting to data collection.
Spread awareness: educate friends, family, and communities, and support organisations advocating for stronger digital protections.
At Shades of Us, we recognise that our digital life reflects our identity, choices, and dignity. Protecting it is about preventing misuse, and it affirms our right to control our story. Digital rights are human rights, and as technology becomes ever more central to life, defending privacy and freedom online moves from necessity to responsibility.
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