Experts on Wednesday warned that rapid advances in emerging technologies are outpacing existing laws and exposing citizens to increased risks of data misuse.

The experts, who spoke at a panel discussion during the 2026 World Data Privacy Day celebration, said that data misuse risks were increasing across critical sectors such as healthcare, banking and digital services.

The World Data Privacy Day celebration was organised by the Data and Knowledge Information Privacy Protection Initiative, a non-profit organisation in Lagos.

Data Privacy Day is an international event that occurs every year on January 28.

The purpose of Data Privacy Day is to raise awareness and promote privacy and data protection best practices. It is currently observed in the United States, Canada, Qatar, Nigeria, Israel and 47 European countries.

Speaking on data protection in healthcare, the CEO of Cedarcrest Hospital, Dr Kunle Onakoya, explained that patients, as data subjects, often unknowingly surrender sensitive personal information beyond the immediate scope of medical care.

He said that while patients assume their medical records are accessed only within hospitals, advances in technology now allow diagnostic data, such as CT scans and MRIs, to be shared across borders for interpretation by remote specialists.

“What many patients do not realise is that their medical data, complete with personal details, may be accessed by third parties sitting in countries such as India, Singapore or China,” Mr Onakoya said.

He noted that although such practices could improve diagnostic outcomes, patients are rarely informed that their data are being shared remotely, sometimes for commercial purposes.

The healthcare expert also cited instances in which health data originally collected for care was later repurposed for marketing and business development without patients’ consent.

According to him, weak regulation allows organisations to exploit technological capabilities.

“Data given strictly for healthcare is now being aggregated and used for purposes far removed from care, and in many cases, there is no law guiding the technology being used,” he added.

On the role of emerging technologies, a technology specialist, Roseline Ilori, stressed the need for “privacy by design,” urging organisations to embed data protection principles at the earliest stages of product development.

Ms Ilori illustrated the scale of data collection on digital platforms, noting that streaming services could collect tens of thousands of data points within seconds of user engagement. According to her, beyond system design, accountability and transparency are key to building trust.

She said organisations must clearly explain why data was being collected and how it would be used, in line with the principle of purpose limitation.

Ms Ilori also called for human-centred technology development, stressing that artificial intelligence should support rather than replace human decision-making.

From the financial services perspective, Justus Osuji, the president of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, ISACA, Lagos chapter, said that data had become the backbone of banking operations, enabling institutions to make informed lending and investment decisions.

Mr Osuji noted that stricter data privacy regulations were compelling banks and fintech companies to innovate responsibly, introducing clearer rules on data collection, classification and usage.

He explained that banks were now required to inform customers of the purpose of data collection and to ensure data minimisation, storage limitations, and secure handling, in line with regulatory requirements.

“Customers now have the right to question why their data is being requested, and there are limits to how long such data can be stored and used,” he said.

Mr Osuji added that banks had strengthened data security through encryption and safeguards for data, both in transit and at rest, particularly as cloud computing and digital inclusion expanded.

(NAN)