Plans to place security above data privacy bad idea for Kenya

Less than two weeks after a January terror attack left 21 people dead at a Kenyan hotel complex, the government announced that it would implement a law related to citizens’ personal data.

The recent amendments to the Registration of Persons Act would allow the government to collect people’s personal information – including DNA samples, biometric data like fingerprints and retinal scans and GPS information to pinpoint their locations. The aim, authorities say, is to enhance security.