The Africa’s Talking Women in Tech July Hackathon, themed Data Protection and Privacy was one for the books. Ladies from various fields: developers, data scientists, law and beginners alike all showed up to take part and contribute to building solutions that can aid in data protection and privacy on a daily basis.The day began with the Africa’s Talking Legal Team, represented by Advocate Kevin Karuga, sharing nuggets on the Data Protection Act in Kenya. The attendees had the concept of Data Processors and Data Controllers demystified as they further got to understand and get a clear view of the solutions they could build. Additionally, they had their questions about data efficiently answered by the legal team, and definitely left with more knowledge on data protection in Kenya than they had had that morning. Furthermore, Africa’s Talking Group CEO, Samuel Gikandi, was also around to give more insight on data protection and its need in the current times.Soon after, there was a product overview of Africa’s Talking products by our Women in Tech Kenya co-lead, and a sample app demonstration from the Community Leads just to get the attendees up to speed with what was expected from them. This was a brilliant segue into the building phase where the ladies got to get their hands dirty with their programming languages of choice and hack scalable solutions on the theme.At the end of the day, 12 teams presented these brilliant solutions:Wednesday Warriors
This team presented a USSD solution to create awareness on data privacy to the public. The USSD pages were built to give information on what data privacy and protection is, how data is compromised and how to protect the data.Job Seekers
This team built a solution for job seekers who apply via sites, which stops them from getting spam emails. In this application, an SMS is sent first to seek consent before sending the emails to the job seekers.Solorun
This team came up with a brilliant facial recognition solution to protect users’ data. A new user registers with a camera photo of themselves, taken as a selfie. On logging in, the app captures your image and compares it with that captured during registration.E-confidant
This team built a USSD solution that provides a private journaling app to users. Users of the app register with their phone numbers before creating a journal entry. The USSD options enable a user to: Register, Create Entries, View Entries, Search Entries, and finally Exit.Data Junkies
This team’s solution is built to be used in the healthcare system to request for consent before using patients’ data in research. A welcome message is sent to users via SMS, together with a number to call to get more details on the data protection methods. They also used a voice solution to ask for consent on sharing data.Vikings
A solution in the form of a food delivery app called Cravings was built by this team. Cravings enabled users to sign in via a web-based interface to access their app. An OTP was then sent via SMS for tracking orders. Upon acceptance by a user to share their data with the delivery team, an SMS is sent to the user.Innovative Reminder
This team skillfully integrated the Voice API and Google Calendar API to create an innovative reminder system for users.Online Shopping Management System
An online shopping application was crafted by this team where they used the SMS API for verification before sharing details.Feeling and Healing
This team’s solution for mental health and counselling was built with the logic of using encryption when texting counsellors. Their web app for mental health services had options such as group and individual therapy. On logging into the web app, the user receives an SMS to welcome them to the platform.Safely
This team’s focus was on user authentication and record management. Their web application checks the user’s network connection and sends a notification via SMS if bytes exceed the maximum level. Additionally, password storage is done on the app. When a user inputs their details, they get a summary of the activity e.g. logs on their laptop, and parties such as organizations that are accessing their laptop by name.Cyber-safe Advisors
This team uses their website to display information on why it is important to protect data and displays the services offered by the application. The USSD provides an option to subscribe to their services, unsubscribe and quit. On successful subscribing and unsubscribing, an SMS is sent to the user for confirmation. From the web app, the administrator can send prompts via SMS to the users directly. The website can also help users formulate policies for download at a fee. Users are completely deleted from the database on unsubscription.Jua Data Yako
This team came up with a solution that enables users to track all organizations they were able to log into on their devices. The USSD solution gives options to key in where you submitted your data and displays the information as a list. On signup, an SMS is sent with the OTP.The hackathon proved to be a resounding success, attracting tech enthusiasts, developers, and cybersecurity experts alike. Participants delved into the intricacies of data privacy, working relentlessly to design innovative solutions that safeguarded user information in the digital age.With cutting-edge technologies, creative strategies, and a commitment to user-centric approaches, the event paved the way for a more secure and privacy-conscious tech landscape. As data breaches and privacy concerns continue to rise, this hackathon served as a testament to the industry’s dedication to protecting user data and building a safer digital future.Join us for the next one, every last Wednesday of the month, and be sure to get a fully engaging hackathon experience, and build your skills, and your network as well.

Africa’s Talking is a Pan-African tech company that works on helping developers in Africa make their ideas come to life with ease. We do this by giving them access to communication infrastructure through easy-to-use APIs.Want to explore our APIs? Learn more about us, reach us at info@africastalking.com and join the conversation on Slack!