Public urged to lodge complaints of unsolicited text messages from telecommunication companies for action 

Individuals who are bombarded with frequent unsolicited text messages from telecommunication operators have the right under the law to lodge an official complaint to the Data Protection Commission for action to be taken against them. 

They even have the right to take legal action against the telecommunication operators at the Law courts for compensation. 

This came to light on GBC's Current Affairs programme ‘Talking Point,’ which looked at the Data Protection Commission. 

The Commission was established by an Act of Parliament and has the right to protect the privacy of individuals and personal data by regulating the processing of information. 

The Executive Director of the Commission, Teki Akuetteh Falconer said the Commission has so far received only 10 complaints from the public on text messages sent frequently by the telecommunication companies and asked the public to take advantage of the existence of the Commission to ensure that they receive value for money and also protect their privacy. 

An Information Security Assurance Consultant, Kobina Richardson said it is important that a Commission such as the Data Protection Commission exist to provide protection for personal data. 

He said protecting personal data, provides a win-win situation for individuals and businesses. 

The Managing Director of Viotech, Daniel Abunu expressed concern about the lack of awareness on the existence and objectives of the Data Protection Commission saying there should be proper information dissemination on the data protection law. 

He urged stakeholders to comply with the law.

GBC