Signal Papua New Guinea seeks feedback on digital ID and data protection bills

Summary

Papua New Guinea's Department of Information and Communications Technology and NICTA opened a public consultation from August 6 to 19, 2026 on three draft bills. The Data Governance and Data Protection Bill 2026 mandates encrypted protection for biometric data and sets fines of up to one million kina (about US$230,000) for violations. The Verifiable Credential and Trust Services Bill 2026 provides the legal foundation for the SevisPass digital ID system and SevisWallet, and establishes a Digital Identity Sustainability Fund. The Cybersecurity Bill 2026 introduces social media age-verification requirements with alternatives to government ID and creates a Child Online Safety Commissioner position. A joint technical working group will review consultation feedback.