Rabat – Morocco’s National Commission for the Control of Personal Data Protection (CNDP) published on June 8 the first issue of its “Digital Trust” magazine to share information about the culture of personal data protection in Morocco.
The magazine aims to inform the public about the protection of personal data, respect for privacy, and digital trust, CNDP’s President Omar Seghrouchni wrote in an introduction.
“The legitimacy of the protection of personal data is in our traditions, in our social and economic requirements. It is also in our international commitments and in our contribution to the universal [issue] and its standards,” Seghrouchni added, explaining that Moroccans can only adopt a “digital culture” through more awareness.
The first issue of the magazine addresses several themes, notably the COVID-19 tracking application “Wiqaytna,” which the CNDP qualifies as “an opportunity for Morocco.”
The 14-page document includes several explanations aiming to simplify the concept of personal data for the public, as well as present several indicators about digital privacy in Morocco.
In 2019, the CNDP received 1,675 complaints about personal data. Since the beginning of 2020, it has received 734 complaints. The figure is 7% lower than the same period in 2019.
According to the report, complaints come from any person who considers that a data controller is misusing his or her personal data.
Future issues of the magazine will provide more information on how to protect personal data when using websites and mobile applications and what to do in case of a privacy violation, the CNDP announced.
The commission also announced an awareness campaign, scheduled to run from June 15 to September 15, to inform Moroccans about their rights in terms of personal data protection.
Regarding the “Wiqaytna” application, launched on June 1 to help curb the spread of COVID-19, the CNDP reassured that the software respects all personal data and privacy regulations and invited Moroccans to use it.
The commission qualified using the application as a “civic act”: “We must respond to the call from the health authorities who are working hard to control the pandemic. They protect us, we must give [back to them] by strengthening their working tools.”
The CNDP, however, commended the questions citizens asked about the application, encouraging them to always ask officials and institutions if faced with confusion.
