Stringent standards will be enforced among government personnel in Bahrain to ensure confidentiality and protect the security of information and data, a report said.

Civil Service Bureau (CSB) chairman Ahmed bin Zayed Al Zayed yesterday (July 11) issued the new rules and regulations which will enter into force as part of efforts to strengthen data security and confidentiality, reported the Gulf Daily News ,our sister publication.

Themed “Data circulation and archiving and civil service human resources management”,  the new regulations will apply to the staff working in different government departments.

In a statement yesterday, Al Zayed said that the code of confidentiality  practices  will also serve the interests of employees themselves.

“The new instructions will apply to all CSB-affiliated employees, whether permanent, temporary or contractual staff, including trainees,” said administrative information director Amal Salem Shaheen.

She said that new regulations aim to protect the use of information and data regardless of the nature of tasks assigned to employees.

Responsibility

She underlined the responsibility of all government departments to protect their employees’ personal information and ensure their confidentiality.

“Employees’ personal information should not be divulged, disclosed or transferred to anyone, except the CSB or official parties which are authorised to see the documents, records or papers pertaining to a government department,” she said.

Under the new rules, employees are banned from disclosing the CSB information and data, using, photocopying, transferring, deleting or divulging them to any unauthorised persons.

The CSB staff owe the duty to observe confidentiality, keep the data in  a secure place and not disclose any information they get to know by virtue of the job or tasks assigned to them.

Shaheen said the duty of confidentiality continues to apply to government employees even after leaving their positions under the data protection act, which prohibits any unlawful disclosure. – TradeArabia News Service