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Data Protection Laws in Cameroon: Understanding Data Subject Rights and Penalties for Non-Compliance

Data Subject Rights

In Cameroon, data subjects have certain rights that must be respected by data controllers. These rights are essential to ensure transparency, accountability, and protection of personal information.

Right to be Informed

The data controller must inform the data subject about:

  • Identity of the data controller and its representative: The name and contact details of the organization responsible for collecting and processing your personal data.
  • Purposes of processing: Why your personal data is being collected, stored, and processed.
  • Category of data concerned: What type of information is being collected about you (e.g., name, email address, phone number).
  • Recipients or categories of recipients of the data: Who else will have access to your personal data (e.g., third-party service providers).
  • Whether answering questions is compulsory or optional, and consequences of failing to do so: Whether providing certain information is mandatory, and what happens if you don’t provide it.
  • Right to object to being part of a filing system: The right to opt-out of having your personal data stored in a database.
  • Right to access collected data and have it rectified: The right to request a copy of your personal data and correct any inaccuracies.
  • Duration of storage of personal data: How long your personal data will be kept.

Right to Access

Data subjects can obtain:

  • Access to information about all the data concerning them, presented in an understandable form: A clear and concise summary of the personal data held about you.
  • Origin of the data: Where the personal data was obtained from (e.g., online form, manual entry).
  • Information and reasoning used in electronic processing: Details on how your personal data is processed using automated systems.

Right to Rectification

Data subjects can request correction or erasure of incomplete, false, ambiguous, or outdated data.

Right to Object/ Opt-out

Data subjects have the right to object to processing if they have legitimate reasons.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

The Agence de Protection des Données Personnelles (APDP) and judges can impose penalties on data controllers who fail to comply with Cameroon’s data protection laws.

Administrative Sanctions

  • Warning: A formal notice may be issued.
  • Formal notice: The APDP may order the cessation of processing personal data.
  • Order the cessation of processing personal data: The data controller must stop collecting, storing, and processing your personal data.
  • Withdraw approval: Approval for data processing activities may be withdrawn.

Criminal Sanctions

A judge can apply:

  • Imprisonment
  • Fines: Fines ranging from XOF 2.5 million to XOF 10 million (approx. $4,100 to $16,370) or XOF 5 million to XOF 20 million (approx. $8,190 to €32,750).