Recently, Dexter Nduna, a politician, apologised to the President of Zimbabwe, after being seen in a graduation gown, even though he wasn’t actually graduating. But that’s not the focus here. Instead, let’s talk about a notice from the University of Zimbabwe’s Law Faculty which went viral on social media, titled “Notice to All Students With Courses to Repeat.”
The notice included students’ names, registration numbers, and details about failed courses.
Under the Cyber and Data Protection Act [Chapter 12:07], this is classified as personal information. The Act defines personal information as anything related to a person, like their name, address, telephone number, identifying numbers, and includes “information about educational, financial, criminal, or employment history.”
When combined, names, academic records, and registration numbers reveal identities and constitute personally identifiable information. This disclosure by the Law Faculty violates the Cyber and Data Protection Act. Posting this information on a notice board was unnecessary for notifying students about their academic status.
Registration numbers are supposed to protect student privacy; they help anonymize identities in academic and administrative records. Publicly posting them exposes students to potential data misuse. These numbers can be linked to other personal details in the university’s systems, such as addresses, financial records, and contact information.
Unauthorized publication of this data could harm a student’s reputation or even affect their job prospects. The Cyber and Data Protection Act aims to change societal norms around privacy. While it might have been common practice to post such information on a notice board, the law now mandates a higher standard of privacy. The University of Zimbabwe, as a data controller, has a duty to protect personal information and respect students’ right to privacy under Section 13 of the Act.
In the age of the internet, posting personal information on a notice board risks broader exposure online, which could cause even greater harm. Imagine being one of the eight students whose names and academic details went viral on social media. What if this exposure affected a job opportunity? You could be judged unfairly based on publicly available information. No one should face such prejudice and embarrassment because their personal information was mishandled.
The university could have notified the students individually or via a student portal, this is an appropriate way to handle private information because it is not in the public interest to let everyone know. Furthermore, a notice with registration numbers only would have sufficed, allowing students to identify themselves privately. If the university felt obliged to clarify the case of Dexter Nduna, the university could have issued a press statement explaining that he wasn’t on the graduation list due to outstanding modules, without exposing unnecessary personal details.
Students affected by this disclosure have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Authority (POTRAZ), which can investigate, recommend actions, or even issue fines. They can send a complaint to dpa@potraz.zw.
Moving forward, the University of Zimbabwe needs to appoint a Data Protection Officer who will ensure that it processes the data of students, staff, and others in compliance with the Cyber and Data Protection Act. In addition, they must put in place a comprehensive student privacy policy. Such a document would describe how they collect and use student personal data from the point an offer is accepted, during, and after their studies, in accordance with the Act. This route ensures that student personal information remains private, maintaining anonymity and protecting students from unnecessary exposure.
This guest post was authored by Melissa Chasi , a certified Data Protection Officer. In her role as Board Member for Research and Advocacy at the Privacy Practitioners Association of Zimbabwe, she is dedicated to empowering citizens of their data rights and advising corporations on the significance of data protection.
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When someone thrusts thugs/hooligans in front, do not expect progressive production…
Educational institutions are a special case, otherwise technically even publishing your name as a successful graduand would constitute a violation. Broadcasting the graduation would also be a violation, unless graduates are announced by student ID only. Then again, your face is also “information” about you.
Ambuya endai munodzidza Law. Kwete kudzidzisa vanodzidzisa ma Lawyer acho basa. Pane renyu rancho basa muchiri pa certificate level. Umm. Changondityora ndechekuti mavekutoshora?
Stop woman, before you start telling publishing election results is an invasion of the privacy of the candidates!
The contributor tried hard to raise awareness to cybersecurity and data protection. The concept is quite welcome and where it properly fits, it is a great improvement to the protecting personal privacy. I don’t agree with her assertions though that in this case the University is liable.
1. The University posted on its community notice board, which is intended or directed to a set of people – students – not the public. Notice boards have limited and localised reach, akin to a school report. The person who might have breached the law is the one who took the picture and circulated it on a public platform. You can say, look the notice board is open to have pictures taken, and I will say the State House or any private item is open to have a picture taken. The law cannot prevent the taking of pictures of private things, it’s crux is stopping circulation of such on public platforms, akin to its inability to stop people from taking their nudes, but surely dealing hard on those that circulate such without consent.
2. Section 10 of the Act provides for sharing of non sensitive data. Several provisions are available where data can be deemed non sensitive especially when pursuing a case of public interest. After the case of fake graduation, the University was duty bound to satisfy public interest by showing its position on the issue. It reached to its community as usual through the limited reach notice board. This dis-sensitised the issue as Nduna was among other students, without showing any speciality about him. Doing a press conference focused on him would have increased his relevance and made a him a special case, working much against his privacy because they had to dig more than normal.
3. To Techzim, please edit your guest posts, cross check against the said reference to just skim through and ensure that false equivalence do not filter into your articles. This article, though noble in intention, uses a very bad example of data privacy breach.
Maresults haafaniri kuratidzwa vanhu vose. University yaifanira kungozivisa public kuti Dexter haasati a-qualifier chete, izvo zvokuratidza maresults eamwe mastudents zvanga zvisiri necessary.
Big Tingz riddim 2.
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Bots on here because they’re econets,techzim exchanged the zero rating for ecknets AI beta program
Need help with downloading pindula news app without data
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72 hours and no new tech news.. ah ok , maybe monday some tech news here ?
Been a few weeks gone from the comment section and look at this garbage bout privacy. No hates laby but wtf. I can read @TheAccountant comment has everything I would have said .
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techzim is now dead and must be laid to rest .. bye bye techzim it was nice knowing you
Where is it written you deserve an article everyday or week,this is free,deal with it and grow up get a job so you can afford real data
Leaks happen. I heard from a bird on the street, ‘hanzi pfekai Black’, straight from the playbook, last time it was pfekai Yellow. Wonderful, for the first time in your lives you are becoming true Africans and fashionable. Black is the colour of our Vadzimu, madziteteguru, don’t you see how good you look now? You are welcome by the way, most luxury brands around the world use Black, the most sort after Porsche 911 Turbo interior is black, also Black tie events… Black is cool😎
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tomorrow will mark 1 week since techzims last news article .. WOW
Where is it written that we are mandated to post articles after any given amount of time?
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If I am not mistaken, one of the 10 commandments is, ‘do not bare false witness on your neighbour🤥 ‘. This is also a gangster and mafia law, you wouldn’t survive in the real world without your handlers, and one day you will need to account for your actions in this life or the next.
I watched in horror a man, actually a boy bearing false witness against me. With a straight face that looks like a malnourished rooster, no shy at all. I should have gone all the way with you that day👊 , I used restraint, but you need your friends to protect you, saka unodenherei?Achimwene, all I wanted was to challenge you in a game of pool🎱 You win I shake your hand, I learn my lesson, we move its just a game not a personality cult. Character assassins, with hardly no character themselves, a hard sell. Hanzi tine mupfana wedu pa den pako…. I don’t mind really until you start behaving like a spoilt brat, because I can go down to your level, this is not a beauty pageant, its real life and I am not your plaything….
Then his friend is like greet me (forcing a greeting😂) . I’m like, I don’t want to greet you, punk. A boy following me around the bar wanting to shake my hand for show, do you know I’m old enough to be your father? Hanzi urikunyara ka’ I’m like ndonyara chinyi? Ini ndakapfeka a fashionably torn jean😆 . I don’t know half the things you guys say and do, all I know is my name is on your lips for a better part of your day. Great minds discuss ideas, idle minds discuss people, men who gossip like ladies, May the Lord help us. 🙏
Some of these boys make me worry about our future. These are our future leaders. If our leaders come from society and there is something wrong with them, then there is something wrong with our society.
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The only people who can reply to comments are the people who have taken over TechZim, its not their fault, lets allow them to do their jobs, just following orders, unfortunately even their families suffer but what to do?. Lads and lasses, I hope you are okay.
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Fear….
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A WIDE SHOT of the terraced crater of the UNOBTANIUM MINE. A
quiet beat, then — K-WHOOOOM! The entire face of one terrace is blown skyward in a chain of EXPLOSIONS. The “shot” blasts hundreds of tons of
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21 EXT. RAINFOREST – DAY 21
A wall of steel FILLS FRAME. The DOZER BLADE crushes
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The heavy machines are escorted by AMPSUITS. COLONEL QUARITCH, on foot, leads a squad of troopers wearing breathing masks and carrying almighty big AUTOMATIC WEAPONS.
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QUARITCH
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head on a swivel. If it moves,
shoot it. If you’re not sure it’s
moving — shoot it! If it looks
like a bunch of flowers you want to
take home to Sally Rottencrotch —
SHOOT IT! What’re you gonna do?
TROOPERS
Shoot it, sir
Public exams = public results. What’s the fuss about privacy when sitting for public exams?