an important right to be recognised in order to counter practices, that were usual in
the so-called First Republic, the previous regime, of information gathering orchestrated by the police via the use of informers.
17 Moreover, if one takes into account
the bigger picture, certain features of the past are still in evidence in the present, but
shared moral values are also dynamic and small communities evolve. In Cape Verde,
societal modernisation, government policy on internet access, digital economy and
cyber-administration aimed at the creation of a ‘Cyberisland’
18 ; the materialisation
of an ambitious program of CCTV cameras in urban spaces in order to control and
reduce growing criminality
19 ; the special relationship with the European Union and
some of its members, necessity of upgrading, especially for this reason, its data
protection system in order to facilitate important state interests in the fields of
security, judicial cooperation, and commerce, banking, tourism and investment
attraction, are factors driving the growing interest in the expansion of the data
protection system in general.
In addition to this, there is an increasing awareness within the population on the
impact of the internet on their communal and private personal lives.
20 Not so much
in the field of electoral and democratic proceedings as discussed in other countries,
21
which arguably will be important in the future because the political regime of the
islands and the stability of its democratic system
22 is one of its main strategic
assets.
23 However, after numerous notorious cases of the leaking of citizens’ private
data, namely sexual and financial, on the traditional media and specially on the web
17 Member of Parliament Arnaldo Silva in the presentation of the draft Constitution to the National
Assembly in 1992 stressed that recognition of rights to protect the individual in that field was
absolutely necessary to prevent “abusive use of computerized information for political police ends”
(National Assembly 1992, p. 50).
18 See also Baker (2009a) and Resende-Santos (2016), as well as the main strategic plans on that
matter, the Strategic Program for Information Society (in Portuguese PESI—Programa Estratégico
para a Sociedade da Informação) (Prime Minister’s Office 2005a), the Action Plan for
eGovernment (in Portuguese PAGE—Plano de Acção para a Governação Eletrónica) (Prime
Minister’s Office 2005b) and the Strategy on Cybersecurity, approved by the Government Resolution No 21/2016, of 7 March, published by the Republic’s Official Gazette [Boletim Oficial], I
Serie, n. 14, 7.3.2016, pp. 531–549.
19 See the Terms of Reference of the National Program on Internal Security and Citizenship
approved by the Resolution No 75/2016, of 15 October, published by Republic’s Official Gazette
[Boletim Oficial], I Serie, n. 59, 14.10.2016, pp. 1978–1979, and the Resolution No. 73/2017, of
7 July, published by the Republic’s Official Gazette [Boletim Oficial], I Serie, n. 39, 07.07.2017,
p. 851, implementing the Project ‘Safe City’. The project received the required favourable advice of
the National Authority on Data Protection (Advice No 3/2018, of 30 January, on the implementation of the CCTV System of the Project Safe City, not published (on file with author)).
20 For comments see also Traça and Gaspar (2016), p. 250, and, especially the interview of the
Chairman of the National Authority on Data Protection, Faustino Monteiro (Expresso das Ilhas, n
821, 23.08.2017, pp. 16–20).
21 See, for instance, Bartlett (2018), passim.
22 Meyns (2002) and Baker (2006).
23 Baker (2009b).
Data Protection in the Internet: Cape Verde’s National Report
79
the so-called First Republic, the previous regime, of information gathering orchestrated by the police via the use of informers.
17 Moreover, if one takes into account
the bigger picture, certain features of the past are still in evidence in the present, but
shared moral values are also dynamic and small communities evolve. In Cape Verde,
societal modernisation, government policy on internet access, digital economy and
cyber-administration aimed at the creation of a ‘Cyberisland’
18 ; the materialisation
of an ambitious program of CCTV cameras in urban spaces in order to control and
reduce growing criminality
19 ; the special relationship with the European Union and
some of its members, necessity of upgrading, especially for this reason, its data
protection system in order to facilitate important state interests in the fields of
security, judicial cooperation, and commerce, banking, tourism and investment
attraction, are factors driving the growing interest in the expansion of the data
protection system in general.
In addition to this, there is an increasing awareness within the population on the
impact of the internet on their communal and private personal lives.
20 Not so much
in the field of electoral and democratic proceedings as discussed in other countries,
21
which arguably will be important in the future because the political regime of the
islands and the stability of its democratic system
22 is one of its main strategic
assets.
23 However, after numerous notorious cases of the leaking of citizens’ private
data, namely sexual and financial, on the traditional media and specially on the web
17 Member of Parliament Arnaldo Silva in the presentation of the draft Constitution to the National
Assembly in 1992 stressed that recognition of rights to protect the individual in that field was
absolutely necessary to prevent “abusive use of computerized information for political police ends”
(National Assembly 1992, p. 50).
18 See also Baker (2009a) and Resende-Santos (2016), as well as the main strategic plans on that
matter, the Strategic Program for Information Society (in Portuguese PESI—Programa Estratégico
para a Sociedade da Informação) (Prime Minister’s Office 2005a), the Action Plan for
eGovernment (in Portuguese PAGE—Plano de Acção para a Governação Eletrónica) (Prime
Minister’s Office 2005b) and the Strategy on Cybersecurity, approved by the Government Resolution No 21/2016, of 7 March, published by the Republic’s Official Gazette [Boletim Oficial], I
Serie, n. 14, 7.3.2016, pp. 531–549.
19 See the Terms of Reference of the National Program on Internal Security and Citizenship
approved by the Resolution No 75/2016, of 15 October, published by Republic’s Official Gazette
[Boletim Oficial], I Serie, n. 59, 14.10.2016, pp. 1978–1979, and the Resolution No. 73/2017, of
7 July, published by the Republic’s Official Gazette [Boletim Oficial], I Serie, n. 39, 07.07.2017,
p. 851, implementing the Project ‘Safe City’. The project received the required favourable advice of
the National Authority on Data Protection (Advice No 3/2018, of 30 January, on the implementation of the CCTV System of the Project Safe City, not published (on file with author)).
20 For comments see also Traça and Gaspar (2016), p. 250, and, especially the interview of the
Chairman of the National Authority on Data Protection, Faustino Monteiro (Expresso das Ilhas, n
821, 23.08.2017, pp. 16–20).
21 See, for instance, Bartlett (2018), passim.
22 Meyns (2002) and Baker (2006).
23 Baker (2009b).
Data Protection in the Internet: Cape Verde’s National Report
79