By Benjamin Adamafio Commey, GNA
Accra, July 10, GNA – The Data Protection Commission (DPC) says the Interior Minister’s disclosure that about 1,300 security recruitment applicants tested positive for HIV did not breach the Data Protection Act (Act 843).
The clarification followed remarks by Mr Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, Minister of Interior, before Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee that about 1,300 applicants tested positive for HIV during the recent security services recruitment exercise.
The Commission disclosed to the Ghana News Agency, following a formal request, explaining that the disclosure involved only aggregated statistical data and did not reveal the identities or personal information of any of the affected applicants.
“The information was presented in an aggregated form and did not constitute the disclosure of personal data under the Data Protection Act,” it said.
The Commissio noted that under Act 843, personal data related to information that identified or could reasonably be used to identify an individual.
The disclosure of an overall figure, without names or other identifying particulars, did not amount to disclosure of personal data.
The DPC, however, stressed that the legal position would have been different if the Minister had disclosed information capable of identifying any of the affected applicants without a lawful basis, which could have amounted to a violation of the Act.
It indicated that, based on the available facts, the Minister’s statement appeared to strike an appropriate balance between public accountability and the privacy rights of the applicants.
The Commission said by limiting the disclosure to statistical information rather than individual identities, the Minister promoted transparency in the recruitment process while safeguarding confidentiality.
It explained that public officials could, in appropriate circumstances, disclose anonymised or aggregated data where it served a legitimate public interest and did not compromise the privacy of identifiable individuals.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Benjamin Adamafio Commey