Know your Personal Data Privacy Rights

Not many people know that there is a Personal Data Protection Authority (PDPA) in Bahrain which enforces the provisions of the Personal Data Protection Law of 2018 which protects individual privacy and data security. Because we have fingertip-access to all kinds of tools for recording others on audio and video, we tend to take the responsibility of protecting personal security lightly. We think nothing of photographing somebody across a room or a street and uploading the photo on social media. Or else, we record personal transactions with individuals on our phones and use it as an official record that stays in corporate or our own digital files.

All this is done casually without the understanding of privacy violation. You may order a pizza delivery and have your photo clicked to confirm completion of the delivery. That photo will remain in the pizza company’s digital records and also in the delivery person’s mobile phone and may be shared without your consent. Or you may be in a group class for stretching and mobility and be photographed or videographed without your permission. These are everyday occasions when we overstep the personal privacy boundary.

Bahrain takes cyber protection very seriously and laws are implemented vigorously. However, there is a gap in building awareness of personal data privacy rights. Neither the person being captured on devices nor the one who is actually capturing the data are aware that they are violating the law. And photos and videos are not the only ways in which personal privacy is infringed. Do you know that if you share a text-message screen-grab or an audio clip of a conversation without the express permission of all parties involved, you are violating PDP laws? We have a prosperous and state-of-the-art telecoms industry. This sector must take the lead in conducting awareness drives about PDP. We need to mobilise clubs and schools for this so that all age groups are sensitized to the matter. It is something we will all have to actively shape with awareness and by respecting the rules.