The 20th workshop on data protection and privacy held in Siem Reap province on Saturday. CCF
Government experts and other interested parties met together for the 20th time at a workshop to discuss the issue of data protection and confidentiality, while the General Directorate of Consumer Protection, Competition and Fraud Repression (CCF) confirmed that the debate regarding the drafting of the law is ongoing.
Representatives from state institutions, universities, legal professionals and civil society organisation representatives met for the 20th workshop organised by the German NGO Konrad-Adenauer Stiftung Cambodia (KAS) in Siem Reap province on December 11.
According to CCF, the 20th workshop was a forum that provided an opportunity for all participants to discuss, exchange ideas and raise awareness about best practices for doing business in the digital age with a focus on promoting data protection and confidentiality for users.
CCF director-general Phan Oun told The Post on December 12 that the government’s intention is to create a law on data protection and confidentiality for users to go into effect as soon as is practicable and to that end they are holding discussions to gather more input.
“We are analysing the costs and benefits of developing this law. Although the government has already determined that we must enact some form of data protections, it is their overall scope that we will continue to study.
“According to the presentations we observed, having such a law is very important because the protection of data and confidentiality throughout the tech sector should be well-defined and legally controlled in order to build more trust with investors.
“The goal is that when any data is transmitted, it will not be shared without permission or misused by others,” he said.
According to Oun, the government will likely need to spend at least five years researching and drafting the law to make sure it is in line with the government’s policies and to ensure the rights of consumers and increase the confidence of potential investors.
Cambodia Chamber of Commerce vice-president Lim Heng supports the drafting of the data law and urged the acceleration of the process to ensure security and confidentiality for those who come to do business in Cambodia.
He said the confidentiality and private data of all internet users – including companies and investors – may otherwise be at risk of being leaked and used without permission as a result of dishonest business practices.
“This law will protect the data of all consumers – including investors – which is very important because that information could include a private company’s future business plans and it could be very damaging were they leaked to the public.
“That would be unfair competition. If a business is researching the Cambodian market and planning for years in order to implement a project, that work could all be rendered useless or used by competitors if someone were to steal it,” he said.
