The Data Protection Commission (DPC) says arrears owed by Data Controllers and Processors in Ghana will remain obsolete till March 31, 2021.

The Commission in a press statement indicated that the timeline given is in accordance with Section 97 Amnesty passed by now Caretaker Communication Minister Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, who exercised Section 94 of the Data Protection Act 2012 (Act 843).

The six months amnesty which commenced from October 1, 2020, and expected to end March 31, is aimed at wavering outstanding debts and allow Data Controllers and Processors to register with the Commission and pay the current year’s fee due only.

According to the Commission, failure to settle the current year’s fee will cause “defaulters to be non-compliant and will subject them to enforcement action including payment of all arrears going back to 2012 (where applicable).”

Meanwhile, the Data Protection Commission today, January 28, celebrates Data Privacy Day, a day set aside to bring awareness to data protection and other privacy challenges and concerns that face the world.

This year’s celebration of the Data Privacy Day began a week ago with a media engagement session hosted by the Commissioner, Ms. Patricia Adusei-Poku.

Also, the Director of Regulatory and Compliance, Patrick Lebene Adonoo has indicated that the events planned by the Commission aim at “educating and empowering individuals on their rights as data subjects, to enable businesses to respect privacy and safeguard personal data, and to promote data protection best practices.”

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) is a statutory body established under the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) to protect the privacy of individuals and personal data by regulating the processing of personal information