By Olumide Babalola, PhD
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By invitation, I attended the 2026 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) held in Lagos on Saturday, 9th May 2026 at the Eko Convention Centre. From an entertainment standpoint, the event was well-executed and well-delivered. Right from the drop-off point, what greeted most attendees was an army of camera-wielding content creators who scampered to capture the arrival of both celebrities and mere mortals, gathering content for their various platforms.
However, from a privacy and data protection perspective, some notices at the entrance of the venue caught my attention. I share my brief thoughts below.
Prohibition of content creation
At the entrance of the convention hall, there was a notice that read: “No Cameras/content creation allowed. Cameras are not permitted for content creation during this event”. My immediate thought was whether this notice is connected to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission’s (NDPC) notice in March 2026 to content creators advising on the privacy implications of their craft. I searched but found no explanation or backstory from AMVCA on this restriction. It may simply be an expression of the brewing tension between filmmakers and content creators.
But regardless of the motive, let’s look at this from an attendee’s privacy perspective. While superficial arguments in favour of filming can be made for mainstream media or official broadcasters covering such events, the same cannot be said for random content creators. For example, on what lawful basis would they rely to film guests? Consent is clearly out of the question, no guest signed anything or was asked. As for “legitimate interest,” that is not a blanket excuse. There is no relationship between the event guests and random content creators. Such processing would definitely fail the legitimate interest assessment test required under Section 25(2) of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA).
Let’s be clear: attending an event is not a blanket approval to be filmed by content creators. Just because a space is “public” does not automatically rob an individual of a reasonable expectation of privacy. The Court of Appeal confirmed this in Nwali v EBSIEC (2014) LPELR-23682 (CA), where it found that activities in public spaces can still enjoy privacy protection.
Hence, while the ban was poorly explained and lacked transparency, its effect, from a data protection standpoint, is arguably beneficial. Hence, on the content creation ban at least, AMVCA may have accidentally done something right.
Live Broadcast Filming Notice
Also, at the entrance of the AMVCA was the notice that read: Live Broadcast Production in Progress. By entering these premises, you acknowledge and consent to being filmed, photographed, recorded and broadcast” Now, credit where it’s due, it is commendable that the organisers gave some notice of filming. But that’s where the praise ends. This notice still raises serious privacy and data protection concerns.
First, the positioning of the notice is somewhat counterproductive. There was no notice at the registration desk where guests were tagged, none at the passage leading to the hall, but the only notice was placed close to the turnstile, which many may not even see, especially during the rush hours.
Secondly, the scantily worded notice violated attendees’ right to be informed (under section 27 NDPA). Where was the identity of the data controller? The retention period? The recipients of the data? The data subjects’ rights, including the right to withdraw consent? All of that was missing. These omissions made the notice insufficient and lacking in material information.
Validity of the consent obtained (if any)
For the sake of argument, assuming the notice and the guest’s attendance constituted ‘affirmative action’, which established consent. The follow-up question is whether such consent is legally valid?
Was there a request for consent?. Since AMVCA is not typically an open walk-in + general registration event, the organisers ought to have explicitly sought the invited attendees’ consent at the point of invitation or special registration. For the purpose of consent, a notice cannot equate a request for consent, especially since the law requires such a request to be in a clear, simple language and in an accessible format (section 26(1) NDPA). The notice placed at the door contains no such request, hence it cannot tick the box.
Was the consent informed? The NDPA defines consent in terms of real understanding of information and then agreement to it. The notice in this case did not provide all the necessary information required under Section 27. Therefore, any consent obtained was uninformed. Attendees could not make a genuine, informed decision on whether to consent or not.
In conclusion, the AMVCA is one of Africa’s largest celebrations of film and creativity. It deserves to be run with excellence, not just on stage, but behind the scenes, including in how it handles the privacy of the people who make the event what it is – the viewers (the attendees).
A few simple fixes would go a long way like: sending a clear privacy notice alongside invitations, displaying prominent, detailed notices at multiple points (registration, pathways, and entrance), explaining the reason for the ban on content creators and providing an opt-out mechanism for those who do not wish to be filmed. Until then, the AMVCA’s privacy notice remains sketchy, and its ban on content creation, while perhaps well-intentioned, lacks transparency. After all, privacy is not the enemy of entertainment. Bad notice is.
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