The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has issued a warning to organisations and their employees in Nigeria against entering personal, classified, or confidential information into public artificial intelligence (AI) tools. This warning was posted through its Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT.NG) on X. The agency highlighted the risks associated with using public Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot.
According to NITDA, information entered into public AI platforms may no longer remain under the control of the organisation that provided it. Such data could be retained, logged, or used by service providers to train AI models. This poses significant risks to data protection and security. The agency emphasised that employees using public AI tools for work-related tasks could inadvertently expose sensitive information.
The exposure of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), classified government information, or confidential organisational data could lead to violations of applicable data protection laws and legal consequences. NITDA warned that disclosure of classified or confidential information to external AI providers could compromise national security and public trust. This could also expose organisations and employees to disciplinary or legal consequences.
To mitigate these risks, NITDA advised organisations and their employees not to enter confidential, classified, or personal data into public AI platforms. Instead, organisations should use only approved AI tools for official work. Additionally, personally identifiable information and other sensitive data should be removed, anonymised, or pseudonymised before using AI platforms.
NITDA also recommended that users review the privacy and data-handling terms of AI platforms before using them. The agency warned against uploading internal documents unless specifically authorised. Furthermore, organisations and their staff were called upon to comply with existing AI, information security, and data protection policies when using AI tools.
This warning comes amid growing concerns over the risks associated with employee use of AI platforms and other digital tools in the workplace. NITDA has previously issued cybersecurity alerts on emerging threats, including AI-powered malware capable of stealing browser-stored credentials and sensitive information.
The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has also indicated plans to review the data protection framework to address emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and robotics. By issuing this warning, NITDA aims to protect sensitive information and promote responsible use of AI tools in the workplace.
Key points
- NITDA warns against feeding sensitive data into public AI tools.
- The agency cites data protection and security risks associated with public Large Language Models.
- Organisations are advised to use approved AI tools and remove sensitive data before using AI platforms.
