DAR ES SALAAM, March 27 -- IN our daily lives, whether sending money, registering a SIM card, browsing online, or signing up for a service, we share pieces of ourselves almost instinctively.

Yet, very few of us pause to ask a simple but important question: what rights do I actually have over my personal data?

This weeks column brings that question closer to home. It is not about theory or legal jargon. It is about practical awareness, grounded in real experiences and guided by the Personal Data Protection Act, Cap. 44.

The law does not treat personal data as something to be owned like property, but it gives every individual clear, enforceable rights over how their personal information is collected, used and shared. I recall a session i...