With technology involved in every aspect of our lives now, the issue of data privacy has become something a lot of people are concerned about globally. Everyone is aware of what their data can become when it's in the wrong hands, and we are all just being careful not to be victims of identity theft, scams, and many other crimes associated with data privacy.
Despite the precautions many of us have taken to ensure the safety of our data, it's just impossible to completely have it under our control when sharing our personal data with the government is mandatory. In highly developed countries, I doubt if governments even struggle to get whatever information they want from their people, so restricting the government from having access to your personal data is almost impossible, and they can brag about the level of data security compared to what we have in third-world countries.
For some time in Nigeria, I can confidently say that the government barely had proper data on the citizens, but all of a sudden, they realized the importance of it and swung into action.
We started with LASSRA for Lagos residence over a decade ago; it became compulsory for anyone living in Lagos. The need for it was attached to some important documentation which includes getting admission into government schools, and we didn't have a choice. The bank verification number came into the picture, and now the NIN, which has been mandated and it clearly shows how serious the government is about stay updated with the citizens.
Honestly, I don't have any issue with the government having access to my data because denying them access would only mean that I want to deprive myself of so many things plus I don't have any skeleton in my cupboard. The government should be the people we can trust but the system has gone from bad to worse across the world.
Immediately linking our national identification number to our SIM card, bank account, and others became compulsory; I was reluctant about it. I keep telling myself, Why does the government insist that we link our NIN? My reluctance got punished because my lines were disconnected until I did what's right.
As a citizen of every country, the government has the right to our data for different reasons, but the fear of them mismanaging this data is enough to make us worried. It's not like we are just worried for nothing, a lot of people have been defrauded because they trust their personal data with the government.
Putting the incompetency of the government aside when it comes to data security, there are numerous reasons why we shouldn't hesitate to give the government access to our data. Like I mentioned earlier, enjoying your privileges as a citizen requires sharing your data with the government.
Voting, for instance, requires you to have a voter's card, which can only be gotten from the government after you have shared some important information they need before issuing you the card. Talking about banks, traveling, schooling, and many other things requires giving the government access to our privacy.
Finally, I believe that every citizen's security is paramount, even though the government isn't doing its best about it. Stepping up security in the country requires that every citizen allow the government access to their privacy to some extent. With every citizen's data at hand, it would be easier to pin crime on culprits, and that way, the increasing growth of crime in the country could be curbed.
It's no news that everything attached to technology always has its downside, and the worst that can happen with data privacy is a third party laying their hands on your data, which can be used for many incriminating things. Data infringement is a big issue, and I think it's time that the government make data collection, how it's been used, and sharing transparent for every citizen.
I know this would be quite difficult, but it's clearly one way of keeping what's private as private. With transparency in the system, every person can authorize and also decline authorization when they feel suspicious or know that their data might be going into the wrong hands.
Other than creating a transparent system, the government must be ready to be accountable for any data mismanagement, and this should force a level of upgrade in data security.
Aside from the government, many of us ignorantly expose our privacy to people and still blame the government. The virtual/digital world is a complex place, and many times it's difficult to know who is good or bad, so it's important that we are very careful with things we put out there personally.