The fears of most Ghanaians about the exposure of their private information and communication to third parties through text messages will soon be over as Cabinet is considering passing a bill to protect data and private conversations of individuals. The Data Protection Bill when passed into law, will give legal backing to the private communication and information of individual Ghanaians. Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Communications, told the Times that the bill had become necessary to allay the fears of the individual about the exposure of his private information. He pointed out that the absence of a protection law amounted to an infringement of the right of the individual. Addressing a two-day Business Process Outsourcing Leadership Summit in Accra Monday, Mr. Iddrisu noted that the sacred information of the individual must not be compromised in anyway, adding that the individual's right to privacy as contained in Article 18(2) of the constitution should be respected. "No text message or data of the individual should be shared without his consent. The private conversation of the individual must be protected," he said. Mr. Iddrisu observed that the world was now driven by information technology which was key to accelerated growth and development. Therefore, until the government invest massively in information technology, its quest to create jobs for the unemployed youth would be a mirage. He said Ghana remained an attractive business outsourcing centre, pointing out that the necessary legal and regulatory framework was in place to promote private business in the country. The Executive Secretary of the Ghana Association of Information Technology companies, Kofi Worlanyo, said the summit would discuss ways of reducing cost and improving the efficiency of services to companies and organisations through business outsourcing. Source: Ghanaian Times