The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has joined 60 other Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) worldwide in endorsing the “Joint Statement on AI-Generated Imagery and the Protection of Privacy.”
The Joint Statement was coordinated by the International Enforcement Cooperation Working Group of the Global Privacy Assembly and addresses rising concerns over privacy risks linked to Artificial Intelligence tools capable of generating realistic images and videos of identifiable individuals.
According to the statement, the misuse of AI-powered tools to create non-consensual imagery, defamatory content and other harmful materials—particularly affecting children and vulnerable groups—poses significant data protection challenges.
The declaration calls on organisations to implement strong safeguards, ensure transparency in AI systems, establish effective content removal mechanisms and comply fully with applicable data protection laws.
The NDPC noted that Nigeria has continued to advance responsible AI governance. It recalled that the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, led the initiative for the development of the National AI Strategy.
The Commission also referenced its General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID), which mandates privacy by design and privacy by default in the development and deployment of AI tools.
The National Commissioner/CEO of the NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, directed that Compliance Audit Returns under the Nigeria Data Protection Act would serve as a benchmark for monitoring responsible AI-driven data processing by major data controllers and processors