Nicaragua: privacy for personal information

Nicaraguans can count on a greater degree of security for their private information, following the entry into force last March of the Law of Protection of Personal Data.

The law creates a private-data control office, under the control of the Finance Ministry, which regulates how non-financial companies and government use personal data, including information about finances and employment.

Financial institutions - including their use of customer data - are governed by the General Law of Financial Institutions.

Under the new rules, companies which create databases, using client information, must register with the control office, which has the power to issue warnings to a company, which fails to register, and in case of non-compliance, to prohibit the company from creating data bases.

In addition, a business must inform clients, that it intends to collect personal information about him or her, while a client can require the company to eliminate any such information from its database.

The Nicaraguan constitution guarantees the right of the citizen to privacy protection, but its terms are general.

In this case, the new law provides specific remedies to deal with privacy issues.

For more information, please contact Dr. Alfonso Sandino, at [email protected], or (505) 2254 5454 ext. 116.