• Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Donate
  • Login
Watchdog Uganda
  • Home
  • News
    • National
    • Politics
    • World News
    • Media Outreach Newswire
    • Africa News
    • Tourism
    • Community News
    • Luganda
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Motorsport
  • Op-Ed
    • #Out2Lunch
    • Conversations with
    • Politics
    • Relationships
  • Business
    • Agriculture
    • CEOs & Entrepreneurs,
    • Companies
    • Finance
    • Products
    • RealEstate
    • Technology
  • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
  • People
    • Showbiz
      • Salon Mag
  • Special Report
    • Education
    • Voices
  • Reviews
    • Products
    • Events
    • Hotels
    • Restaurants
    • Places
  • WD-TV
  • Donate
  • China News
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • National
    • Politics
    • World News
    • Media Outreach Newswire
    • Africa News
    • Tourism
    • Community News
    • Luganda
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Motorsport
  • Op-Ed
    • #Out2Lunch
    • Conversations with
    • Politics
    • Relationships
  • Business
    • Agriculture
    • CEOs & Entrepreneurs,
    • Companies
    • Finance
    • Products
    • RealEstate
    • Technology
  • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
  • People
    • Showbiz
      • Salon Mag
  • Special Report
    • Education
    • Voices
  • Reviews
    • Products
    • Events
    • Hotels
    • Restaurants
    • Places
  • WD-TV
  • Donate
  • China News
No Result
View All Result
Watchdog Uganda
No Result
View All Result

Government must respect human rights in the use of Surveillance technologies to fight Coronavirus, says Unwanted Witness Uganda

Catherine Apolot by Catherine Apolot
5 years ago
in National, News
4 0
ShareTweetSendShare

KAMPALA: Unwanted Witness Uganda on Friday wrote a formal letter to the Ministry of Information Communications Technology and National Guidance demanding for strict observance of human rights for any intended use of surveillance technologies to fight COVID-19.

In a letter addressed to the permanent Secretary Ministry of ICT, Hon. Vincent Bagiire and copied to Minister Judith Nabakooba, calls on government to respect its human rights obligation and restrain from exercising excessive surveillance powers that is neither lawful, necessary nor proportionate in responding to the current health crisis.

“While Uganda like all countries globally is experiencing extraordinary times, human rights law still applies. Any innovation aimed at tracking and monitoring citizens should strictly be carried out in line with human rights law, particularly Article 27 of the 1995 Uganda constitution, Article 12 of the universal declaration of human rights and the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019,”, said Dorothy Mukasa, the Chief Executive Officer, Unwanted Witness, Uganda.

She added that in all pandemics especially where casual person to person transmission occurs there is a need to ensure that the response is firmly grounded in human rights, to avoid threats to privacy and freedom of expression.

On April 15, 2020, the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance published a call for digital solutions to support the fight against the corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic, including public health surveillance and contact tracing.

Technology plays an important role in saving lives by increasing access to health care once properly utilized.

Contact tracing and public health surveillance as one of the solutions being solicited, can ensure that the infection spread retards or stops the pace of the pandemic. However, according to Ms Mukasa such digital surveillance powers can equally threaten privacy, freedom of expression and freedom of association, and degrade public trust thus undermining effectiveness of intended public health response.

The Ministry of ICT is therefore called upon to observe transparency privacy standards which permit adoption of contact tracing and public health surveillance efforts without flagrant violation of human rights by meeting the following:

1. Contact tracing must be adopted in a lawful, necessary and proportionate way, with the need to observe commitments to privacy and medical confidentiality. The Ministry must be transparent about the innovation to foster public scrutiny.

2. In case where it’s valuable for individuals to share data, systems must provide voluntary mechanisms in accordance with ethical principles of personal decision making including disclosure and consent.

3. Contact tracing and public health surveillance must be temporary such that when the pandemic is over, such extraordinary measures be put to an end and held to account, so that the pandemic does not serve as an excuse for indefinite surveillance.

4. Government must take every effort to protect people’s data including ensuring sufficient security of any personal data collected by the application.


Do you have a story in your community or an opinion to share with us: Email us at editorial@watchdoguganda.com
Share1Tweet1SendShare

Related Posts

Business

Victoria University Strengthens Ties with Busoga Kingdom Through Educational Partnership

1st July 2025 at 13:40
News

President Museveni to officiate at St. Gonzaga Gonza Day celebrations 

1st July 2025 at 11:17
News

UVTAB and Presidential Industrial hub officials meet to ensure competence of skilling project beneficiaries 

1st July 2025 at 11:04
Next Post

COVID-19: Kisoro district tightens border security after intercepting positive case at Cyanika

  • Prostitution in Uganda- Courtesy Photo

    10 dangerous hotspots known for prostitutes in Kampala

    1099 shares
    Share 440 Tweet 275
  • LIST: New salary structure for civil servants starting July 2020 out; scientists, lecturers get juicy pay rise

    2282 shares
    Share 913 Tweet 571
  • Uganda’s Billionaires 2025: Once Again Sudhir Ruparelia Leads a Resilient Pack

    39 shares
    Share 16 Tweet 10
  • Pastor Bugingo Seeks Reconciliation with Teddy and Children, Prays for Makula’s Twins

    18 shares
    Share 7 Tweet 5
  • LIST : Gov’t releases Revised Salary Structure for Teachers, Police, and Prisons Staff for FY 2024/2025

    111 shares
    Share 44 Tweet 28
Facebook Twitter

Contact Information

Watchdog Uganda is a portal for solution journalism, trending news plus cutting edge commentaries in the fields of politics, security, business, tourism, entertainment, technology, agriculture, climate change, environment, public health et al. We also give preference to Ugandan community news and topical discussions. The portal also publishes community news and topical discussions.

Email: editorial@watchdoguganda.com
To Advertise:Click here

Latest News

Victoria University Strengthens Ties with Busoga Kingdom Through Educational Partnership

1st July 2025 at 13:40

President Museveni to officiate at St. Gonzaga Gonza Day celebrations 

1st July 2025 at 11:17

Check out

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Minister Muruli Mukasa

LIST: New salary structure for civil servants starting July 2020 out; scientists, lecturers get juicy pay rise

24th May 2020 at 10:45
Pregnant woman

Shock as 17-year old boy impregnates his two sisters during Covid-19 lockdown 

17th June 2020 at 08:17
Sudhir Ruparelia is set to speak at business forum in United Kingdom

Billionaire Sudhir’s wisdom on how to invest in real estate

0

How a boy’s destiny turned from cotton grower to communications guru

0

Victoria University Strengthens Ties with Busoga Kingdom Through Educational Partnership

1st July 2025 at 13:40

President Museveni to officiate at St. Gonzaga Gonza Day celebrations 

1st July 2025 at 11:17

© 2025 Watchdog Uganda

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • National
    • Politics
    • World News
    • Media Outreach Newswire
    • Africa News
    • Tourism
    • Community News
    • Luganda
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Motorsport
  • Op-Ed
    • #Out2Lunch
    • Conversations with
    • Politics
    • Relationships
  • Business
    • Agriculture
    • CEOs & Entrepreneurs,
    • Companies
    • Finance
    • Products
    • RealEstate
    • Technology
  • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
  • People
    • Showbiz
      • Salon Mag
  • Special Report
    • Education
    • Voices
  • Reviews
    • Products
    • Events
    • Hotels
    • Restaurants
    • Places
  • WD-TV
  • Donate
  • China News

© 2025 Watchdog Uganda