Madam Speaker,
I rise today to lay before this Honourable House the Data Protection Bill, 2025.
This bill marks an important turning point for our country: a moment where we recognise that the way we protect the digital privacy of our people must keep pace with the times we live in.
Madam Speaker,
The law that currently governs data protection was passed over twenty years ago, back in 2003, which made The Bahamas one of the first jurisdictions in the region to implement legislation of this kind.
At that time, we did not collect data at the scale we now do, nor did we use social media, cloud storage services, artificial intelligence, or smartphones. The world has undoubtedly changed, and it has changed quickly.
Every day, our people are online, conducting business, banking, shopping, learning, communicating, and working.
All of this involves the collection, sharing and handling of personal information.
This new Bill represents a critical step forward in protecting all this data.
It is a complete modernization of how we protect our personal data in this digital age and strengthen our digital economy.
This Bill seeks to repeal and replace the old act with a new, modern, and forward-looking framework, which protects data subjects and promotes transparency and accountability of data controllers.
Madam Speaker,
This bill is built on three simple but powerful ideas: empowerment, trust, and innovation.
We want to empower our people, to give every resident more control over their personal information.
We want to build trust, between consumers, businesses, and the government, by setting out clear and transparent rights, rules and obligations.
And we want to encourage innovation by giving data controllers and companies the clarity they need to operate responsibly, confidently, and fairly.
This Bill will serve as the foundation for our nation’s digital framework, supporting everything from e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and fintech to health technology and education platforms.
Every resident of The Bahamas will also now have stronger rights over their personal data, particularly as it concerns consent to the sharing of personal data.
They will be able to access their data, correct it, or even have it erased if it’s no longer needed. In certain instances, they can object to how it’s being used.
If someone’s personal data is misused or mishandled, they will now have a right to redress and remedy for any damage suffered as a result of the same.
Ultimately, this is about fairness and respect for people’s most sensitive data.
It’s about giving our people the confidence that when they share their information, it will be used properly, and stored and protected adequately.
The Bill also makes special provision for those who are most vulnerable — for our children, our elderly, and those who may not always be able to protect themselves.
It expands the definition of personal data to include biometric and genetic information: things like fingerprints, facial recognition, and DNA data.
These are deeply personal details, Madam Speaker. They define who we are and should be provided with the most advanced protections. This law ensures that this happens.
Madam Speaker,
This Bill also brings clarity and opportunity for businesses.
We understand that companies, especially small and medium-sized ones, rely on data to serve their customers better and grow.
This Bill does not seek to hinder or place onerous burdens on them. Instead, it gives them clearer guidelines and modern standards for managing data responsibly.
When businesses handle information properly, they earn trust. And trust, Madam Speaker, is good for business.
With this Bill, we are striking the right balance of protecting data subjects while enabling growth for businesses.
Madam Speaker,
We also recognise that this transition will take time and resources.
That is why we will roll out this new framework in phases over several years, giving organisations adequate time to adjust, train their teams, and build the systems they need to comply. The intention is not to blindside the business community overnight.
To make sure the new system works effectively, we will be strengthening the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, giving it the tools, the staff, and the authority it needs to effectively do its job and enforce the act.
This includes extensive public education and awareness campaigns, sectoral engagement, and partnerships with industries to develop guidance and codes of best practice to make the transition to the new act as seamless as possible.
Madam Speaker,
In developing this Bill, we have looked at some of the world’s best models and adapted them for our own national needs.
We have looked, in particular, to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which remains the global gold standard.
We have also examined the laws of our Caribbean neighbours, including Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, and Guyana, as well as African countries such as Zambia and Kenya.
By drawing from the experiences of a broad section of regional and global nations, we will ensure that our data protection standards are globally recognised, regionally harmonised, and locally appropriate.
That means our businesses can compete on a global stage, and our citizens can enjoy the same protections as those in the most advanced digital economies.
Madam Speaker,
This Bill is about building a society that is ready for the opportunities and challenges of the digital age. It ensures that as we continue to build a digital economy, we do so on a foundation of trust, fairness, and accountability.
I commend this Bill to this Honourable House and to the people of the nation, as another example of our government’s commitment to good governance, modernisation, and the protection of every Bahamian’s rights.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.