Learners from over 15 universities across the country are set to benefit from moot court competitions organised by Unwanted Witness, a non-government organisation charged with the responsibility of fighting for privacy rights.
These learners, according to Dorothy Mukasa, the executive director of Unwanted Witness, will be equipped with legal knowledge, by the end of the competition.
Speaking at the pre-Moot Conference at Hotel Africana in Kampala on Wednesday, September 20, Mukasa said that competitions were organised to practically involve university learners with legal knowledge and argumentative skills which she said would empower them to prepare well in their profession.
She said the moot court competitions will take place this Friday and Saturday at Hotel Africana
“It is prudent to have moots so as to widen the knowledge and argumentative skills of prospective lawyers while in school. Competitions shall provide a platform for participants to learn and experience new legal knowledge,” Mukasa said.
Running under the theme Balancing Privacy Rights and National Security: Navigating the Impact of Surveillance Laws on Individual Freedoms, the competitions shall basically focus on how the digital number plates will impact the freedoms of individuals.
According to Mukasa however, the digital number plates as proposed by the government will infringe on the rights of privacy if safeguards therein are not well defined.
She insists that the government has not been transparent enough on which company will be charged with the responsibility of collecting data from individuals and perhaps which type of information shall be needed. This because the government has not laboured to sensitise the country about this whole process,” Mukasa said.
Dismissing allegations, she said have been mounted against her that she does not support the government’s move, Mukasa said that the true motive of digital number plates is to enhance national security, but was concerned that the information would be mishandled and aid in terror attacks on individuals.
She claims that the government’s move if enforced, will contravene several articles of the Data Protection and Privacy Act of 2019.
“It is improper for citizens to surrender their personal data to individuals we don’t know; you cannot avoid bad elements from using the same information to track and cause harm to people,” she said.
“We cannot be sure of our safety without guidelines assuring us of how we are going to be safe,” Mukasa added.
Recently, the Government announced plans for a mass rollout of digital number plates in November. The government said it intended to first “prepare and sensitise the public about the importance and relevance of the service towards road safety and security.
The issue of digital number plates was first planned for July 1, 2023, in a bid to help curb crime in the country. However, the company, Joint Stock Company Global Security, which was
contracted to supply the digital number plates was yet to deliver the items.
Source: New Vision