Butere MP Nicholas Mwale on Thursday raised concerns over the safety of data for National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) users on the eCitizen platform.
During parliament proceedings, the MP questioned why the portal on the eCitizen platform lacked an option for registered organisations to create independent accounts.
The lawmaker argued that employees are compelled to use personal data to open accounts on behalf of their companies thus contravening Article 31 of the Constitution which guarantees one the right to privacy.
"The NTSA portal does not provide an option for registered organisations to create their independent accounts," the legislator argued.
"This has compelled employees to open accounts on behalf of their companies, with the companies only being able to link their data to an individual account."
Article 31 of the Constitution guarantees the right of every person to privacy including the right not to have information relating to their private affairs revealed.
As a result, Mwale sought a statement from the Committee on the State Department of Transport over the issue. He listed three questions regarding the potential of data privacy.
First, he sought to find out the measures being taken to address the issue of registered organisations being unable to create or activate independent accounts.
Second, he wants to know the steps taken to protect citizens whose accounts are linked to an organisation's transactions given that the receipts display authorised persons' details instead of the company details such as name, telephone number and ID number.
Lastly, he sought the Committee to establish whether the sub-users with limited rights on transactions of major accounts do not intrude into the privacy of the authorised personal data available on the e-Citizen platform.
Data privacy had been a pertinent issue among users accessing the NTSA portal on the eCitizen platform over the weekend.
In response, NTSA clarified that only general and essential details such as chassis number, car model, and engine are revealed during motor vehicle searches.
