Digital economy blueprint

9.4 STRENGTHENING PRIVACY AND DATA 

SECURITY 

The digital transformation of society requires a par-

adigm shift in data policy. Data is the basic raw ma-

terial in the digital economy. More and more aspects 

of business and society are being measured and eval-

uated, connected and marketed in an increasing de-

gree of complexity and differentiation. Avoiding data 

collection and storage can no longer be our guiding 

principle. On the contrary, the prevailing data security 

issues will involve individual “informational autono-

my” in the future..

Private individuals and companies must be confident 

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DIGITAL ECONOMY BLUEPRINT

that their data is protected from abuse. Users and con-

sumers must be able to make their own decisions on 

how their data is used. Data security and information-

al autonomy are important cornerstones of our de-

mocracy, and at the same time a prerequisite for the 

acceptability and success of a data-driven economy.

If Kenya does not have trustworthy and secure ICT 

infrastructures, we run the danger of losing compet-

itive ability and future economic strength. Without 

data security, it will be particularly difficult to con-

vince  our  small  and  medium-sized  enterprises  that 

digitisation of their business is the way of the future. 

It is the task of the many participants in this technol-

ogy to work together to guarantee trust, security and 

data protection in an increasingly digitised world. Not 

only the government, but also business, the scientific 

community and ultimately the users themselves must 

contribute to this.