Privacy Concerns Mount as Kenya Moves to Monetise Citizen Data

Kenya plans to create a marketplace for government datasets for commercial use over the next five years. Citizens’ data could be accessed by businesses, researchers, and NGOs through subscriptions, licensing, and data-as-a-service offerings, according to TechPoint.

The plans fall under a draft National Data Governance Policy, which would make Kenya the first African country to coomercialise public-sector data on a large scale. The project is set to cost nearly $3.1 million and could commence as soon as next month, according to Semafor.

Kenya creating a marketplace for government data

The government wants to create new opportunities that will also generate revenue. The marketplace hopes to pull on-personal datasets from government platforms, such as eCitizen and other public digital services. Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy believes the data will help create economic growth and support research, AI development and digital transformation.

Personal information such as names, phone numbers, national ID numbers, and images will not be made public, according to officials. The datasets will include traffic flows, regional demand for government services and business registration trends.

What do the critics think?

Techpoint reported that some critics believe anonymisation is not enough to reduce privacy risks, especially when datasets are merged with open-source data that could identify individuals. There are also concerns about data governance, surveillance and accountability.

To address these concerns, the government will conduct regular audits and compliance checks, add a new data governance law to improve enforcement, and include mandatory impact assessments for high-risk data projects, as reported by People Daily.

Image: Ibrahim Yusuf

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