FITIS Chairman reiterates importance of Data Protection and Privacy legislation

The Federation of IT industry (FITIS) yesterday welcomed the upcoming Data Protection and Privacy regulations saying it a positive step and a catalyst to boost digital economy.  

FITIS said the Bill provides for the regulation of processing of personal data; to identify and strengthen the rights of data subjects in relation to the protection of personal data; to provide for the designation of the Data Protection Authority; and related matters. 

“As the apex body for the ICT industry in Sri Lanka, the Federation of IT industry (FITIS) believes that the proposed Personal Data Protection Bill is a positive step and serve as a catalyst to attract investment in BPO and other data processing industries” said FITIS Chairman Dr. Prasad Samarasinghe.

“We are confident that this will also help Sri Lankan companies to collaborate with entities based in countries that do adopt Data Protection and Privacy legislation with relative ease,” added the Chief of FITIS, the apex body of ICT industry.

The legislation intends to balance the interest of the enterprises who rely on personal data processing and the interests of individuals whose personal data is being processed to ensure transparency and accountability in processing activities. 

“We understand that the proposed Personal Data Protection Bill which has been formulated by a joint public sector-private sector expert drafting Committee, chaired by ICTA General Counsel has gone through seven rounds of public stakeholder consultations and over 30 written submissions from individual experts, multinational corporations, international entities and domestic organisations, including the Right to Information Commission” Dr. Samarasinghe further stated. 

“We are also confident that this proposed bill would be continuously reviewed, and regular public feedback will also be sought in order to further refine it.”

FITIS noted that with the pandemic, as more and more social and economic activities take place online, the importance of privacy and data protection is being increasingly recognised across the world.

While this has opened up massive opportunities for the development and growth of the IT sector, the collection, use and sharing of personal information to third parties without notice or consent of consumers has raised many concerns.

According to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), at present 128 out of 194 countries have put in place legislation to secure the protection of data and privacy. Africa and Asia show a similar level of adoption with 55% of countries having adopted such legislations from which 23 are least developed countries. 

(Source: https://unctad.org/page/data-protection-and-privacy-legislation-worldwide)

It is in this backdrop that Sri Lanka hopes to implement the Personal Data Protection Bill published as a Bill in the Gazette on 25 November 2021. This bill defines measures to protect personal data of individuals held by the government entities, banks, telecom operators, hospitals and other personal data aggregating and processing entities.

FITIS was established in 1996 with the purpose of giving a much-needed focal point for ICT industry in Sri Lanka. FITIS is the apex body of ICT industry in the country covering all major industry segments as Hardware Chapter, Software Chapter, Education Training Chapter, Communication Chapter, Digital Service Chapter, Professional Chapter, Office Automation Chapter and Independent Professional Consultants Chapter.