By Executive Editor

The government is concerned about the manner in which the salaries of staff at Next Media Services, a media conglomerate, were leaked early this week.

Sometime this week, a former staff member of Next Media, the parent company of NBS TV, leaked the salaries of staff.

The Personal Data Protection Office, Uganda’s independent data protection office, says they are concerned and that an investigation into the matter has commenced. It is established as an independent office under the National Information Technology Authority of Uganda (NITA-U) and is responsible for overseeing the implementation of and enforcement of the Data Protection and Privacy Act No. 9 of 2019. The office is headed by a National Personal Data Protection Director.

In a statement on August 1, 2024, the Office said:

The Personal Data Protection Office (PDPO) has been alerted to an alleged data breach at Next Media Services involving the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive employee personal data, including names, salaries, and Tax Identification Numbers (TINs). PDPO is deeply concerned about such incidents and their potential impact on the affected individuals as they contravene Section 35 of the Data Protection and Privacy Act, Cap. 97. In collaboration with key enforcement stakeholders, we have commenced investigations into this matter. PDPO remains committed to ensuring that all organizations and persons collecting and processing personal data of Ugandans and people living in Uganda adhere to the highest standards of data protection and privacy for the individuals from whom it is collected.