)
The companies implicated in these alleged violations are Hisense Ghana Limited, Quick Loan and Micro-Investments Limited, and Marwako Fast Food.
Among the companies, Quick Credit Investment and Micro-Credit Limited, known for providing loans with interest to customers, has come under scrutiny for its purported violation of the Data Protection Act 2012. The Commission's intervention followed a customer's complaint regarding breaches of privacy allegedly caused by the company's actions.
At the center of the issue is Quick Credit Investment and Micro-Credit Limited's alleged practice of publicly disclosing the names of defaulting customers without obtaining proper consent—a direct violation of the Data Protection Act 2012 (Act 843). The Act explicitly prohibits such actions, emphasizing the significance of safeguarding individuals' personal information.
To address the allegations and explore potential remedies, the Data Protection Commission engaged in discussions with officials from Quick Credit Investment and Micro-Credit Limited. The Commission has further instructed the company to participate in a meeting by the end of the workday on Monday.
During a press briefing, Quinton Akrobeto, the Director for Regulatory and Compliance at the Data Protection Commission, shed light on the seriousness of the situation. He revealed that the complaint leading to this investigation was submitted by a lawyer representing one of the affected company's clients.
"We will be expecting them at the Police Headquarters for further interrogation," said Mr. Akrobeto. "We received a complaint about their non-compliance, and how they are processing personal data against their customers, so we received a complaint from one lawyer who wrote in respect of their client, and it is upon that that we have followed up to this place."
Mr. Akrobeto went on to explain that the alleged actions of these companies have caused distress to their customers, involving harassment that extends to their homes and places of worship. These actions, he emphasized, infringe upon individuals' right to privacy.
Aside from Quick Credit Investment and Micro-Credit Limited, officials from two other companies have also been detained for questioning as part of the ongoing investigation into potential breaches of data protection regulations. The Data Protection Commission's enforcement exercise underscores the commitment to upholding data privacy laws and ensuring that individuals' personal information is treated with the utmost care and respect.