{"id":60335,"date":"2023-12-19T08:48:54","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T08:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/mtc-must-stop-biometric-data-collection"},"modified":"2023-12-19T08:59:26","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T08:59:26","slug":"mtc-must-stop-biometric-data-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/mtc-must-stop-biometric-data-collection","title":{"rendered":"\u2018MTC must stop biometric data collection\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. <\/strong><\/span>The former technology adviser to the United Nations and the chairperson of the Payment Association of Namibia\u2019s e-Money Forum, Paul Rowney, wants to know why the Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) continues to harvest the biometric data of clients when registering their SIM cards.<\/b><\/p>\n

He says this cannot be done before legislation regulating the practice is in place. Rowney advises the government to suspend SIM card registration to ensure a data protection law is in place.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would question MTC as to why they are harvesting biometric data and have them delete all the biometric data they have harvested under the pretext of SIM registration, because it was collected under false pretences,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Rowney suggests that MTC could be using this data in preparation of an application the company plans to launch next year. \u201cWhere is the data protection act before they started this Rica process in the first place?\u201d he asks.<\/p>\n

Only 45% of SIM card users have registered with the company, with two weeks until the deadline. This follows MTC and Telecom Namibia on Friday confirming that the impact of SIM card suspension would make more than a dent in their financial books.<\/p>\n

The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) last year issued a directive stating that telecommunications operators should discontinue capturing clients\u2019 biometric data when registering their SIM cards in the absence of a data-protection legislative framework.<\/p>\n

However, MTC ignored this directive and continued offering its biometric process as a condition of service to its customers. In South Africa, the SIM card registration law is called the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act (Rica).<\/p>\n

Rowney, who has over 30 years of technology experience in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, believes the government is trying to keep up with other countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are getting mobile network operators (MNOs) to collect people\u2019s data where we have no legislation in place on how that data is going to be protected.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we delayed Rica until we have a data protection act, I don\u2019t think that would have caused any problems in this country,\u201d he says. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has also raised concerns around this collection.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe regulations for Part 6 of Chapter 5 of the Communications Act of 2009, as well as the further conditions on telecommunications licensees, require operators to collect basic information such as names, dates of birth, addresses and copies of identification documents to register a SIM card.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no mention of biometric information being legally required or necessary for SIM card registration,\u201d the IPPR states in its January blog.<\/p>\n

UNINFORMED CONSENT<\/b><\/p>\n

Rowney also questions MTC\u2019s request for a one-time-pin (OTP) in the registration process, which wants consent for data. MTC\u2019s message reads: \u201cBy providing the OTP to MTC you consent to the processing and storing of your personal data.\u201d<\/p>\n

MTC\u2019s legal executive, Patience Kangueehi-Kanalelo says Namibia has no data protection legislation and MTC has aligned this practice with the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).<\/p>\n

\u201c… to align ourselves with that and that is why we are asking you, you are giving consent for us to store your personal data. So that is in terms of a law that doesn\u2019t really exist,\u201d she says. The legal advisor further explained that the personal data information includes name, surname, identification number and residential address.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of that is considered personal data. So our request for an OTP is our preparation for when the law is implemented, which we assume will be based on these EU GDPR practices as is the draft that is currently with the parliament,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The GDPR is an important component of EU privacy and human rights law. Rowney counters Kangueehi-Kanalelo\u2019s argument, saying the GDPR would require the option to opt out of non-essential data and an explanation as to why certain data is being collected, how it is stored and the right to have it deleted.<\/p>\n

MTC was unable to respond to questions around the safety of clients\u2019 data, while confirming that there was a security breach from inside the company. Kangueehi-Kanalelo has told the media that the company has shared the link for online registration internally, which has led to it being leaked.<\/p>\n

She says the system was meant to handle entries by MTC employees as it was a \u201ctest\u201d. Meanwhile, MTC has confirmed that its online registration platform has been compromised.<\/p>\n

Rowney believes this leak was MTC being taken to task for harvesting data. \u201cI think it was not a leak. They got taken to task because they are harvesting biometric data with the online system,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

REVENUE COMPROMISE<\/b><\/p>\n

Telecom chief executive Stanley Shanapinda says the company currently generates between between N$250 million and N$280 million on an annual basis through SIM card usage.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd any customer who is not registered come 1 January is going to be too much revenue lost \u2013 even from one single customer.<\/p>\n

That is why we want to urge our customers,\u201d he says. Shanapinda says if not all customers get registered it would bite into revenue projections and losses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not able to calculate those at the moment, but obviously if we know we have got only a 45% rate of registration, 55% we know if we have to cut them off today, we know what that loss would amount to,\u201d he says. Kangueehi-Kanalelo echoes Shanapinda\u2019s sentiments.<\/p>\n

\u201cNaturally it would have a revenue impact and that\u2019s why we are working hard to make sure we are registered. We hope come that date, we will have some consideration for an extension. But obviously it is not in their hands,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Cran says unregistered numbers would be given to other users after the three-month suspension period. Cran\u2019s legal adviser, Stanley Kavetu, who was addressing the media on Friday, said during the three-month suspension period, a user\u2019s number will be off, but he or she would still be able to register it. However, after that, they would lose their number. Cran indicated that unregistered SIM cards would be suspended if not registered by 31 December.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Namibia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. The former technology adviser to the United Nations and the chairperson of the Payment Association of Namibia\u2019s e-Money Forum, Paul Rowney, wants to know why the Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) continues to harvest the biometric data of clients when registering their SIM cards. He says this cannot be done before legislation regulating […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":60334,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[234,236,233],"class_list":["post-60335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-namibia","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018MTC must stop biometric data collection\u2019 - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The former technology adviser to the United Nations and the chairperson of the Payment Association of Namibia\u2019s e-Mon ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/mtc-must-stop-biometric-data-collection\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018MTC must stop biometric data collection\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The former technology adviser to the United Nations and the chairperson of the Payment Association of Namibia\u2019s e-Mon ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/mtc-must-stop-biometric-data-collection\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Namibia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-12-19T08:48:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-19T08:59:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/sm_1702963653.205698.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/mtc-must-stop-biometric-data-collection#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/mtc-must-stop-biometric-data-collection\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018MTC must stop biometric data collection\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-19T08:48:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-19T08:59:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/mtc-must-stop-biometric-data-collection\"},\"wordCount\":1033,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/mtc-must-stop-biometric-data-collection#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2023\/12\/sm_1702963653.205698.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"africa press\",\"Africa Press-Namibia\",\"namibia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/mtc-must-stop-biometric-data-collection#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/mtc-must-stop-biometric-data-collection\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/mtc-must-stop-biometric-data-collection\",\"name\":\"\u2018MTC must stop biometric data collection\u2019 - 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