Rebooting democracy? Political data mining and biometric voter registration in Africa
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Date
2017
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Abstract
The introduction of biometric voter registration and biometric voter identification on Election Day is a new trend in most African countries. This development in turn has necessitated massive political data mining. Yet, the nexus between elections and technology poses challenges on protection of personal information. This article offers a critical discussion of legal and regulatory frameworks that govern protection of personal information in an election context. Using the international standards for personal data protection and lessons from Kenya and Ghana, it notes that Tanzania does not have a systematic regime for personal data protection. This leaves voters’ personal data without adequate protection. Accordingly, the adoption of the biometric technology in the process of registration of voters creates greater potentials for violations of personal data than it was the case with the optical mark recognition technology.
Description
Abstract. Full Text Article available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13600834.2017.1321097
Keywords
Biometric voter registration, Voting, Democracy, Tanzania, Privacy, Personal information, Biometric technology, Election day
Citation
Makulilo, A. (2017). Rebooting democracy? Political data mining and biometric voter registration in Africa. Information & Communications Technology Law, 26(2), 198-212.