Nigeria Orders Mobile Users to Link Phones to ID Numbers
| Nigeria Orders Mobile Users to Link Phones to ID Numbers | |
|---|---|
| Short Title | Nigeria’ Telecommunications Regulator Orders Mobile Users to Link Simcards to ID Numbers |
| Location | Nigeria |
| Date | December 2020 |
| Solove Harm | Decisional Interference |
| Information | Identifying, Contact |
| Threat Actors | Nigerian Communications Commission |
| Individuals | |
| Affected | Nigerians |
| High Risk Groups | |
| Tangible Harms | |
Nigerian Communications Commission ordered all mobile phone users to share their ID numbers to the network operators, so that their IDs are matched to the simcards.
Description
In December 2020, Nigerian Communications Commission - Nigeria’s telecommunications regulator - ordered mobile-phone users to link their devices to their national biometrics-backed identity numbers. Failure to do so will result in their phone lines being cut off.Decisional Interference
According to the directive, all mobile telephone users are expected, within a fortnight, to submit their national ID numbers to their respective network operators for them to be added to their SIM cards.
Fingerprint biometrics are already collected as a mandatory requirement for SIM registration in Nigeria, and reports have suggested that the number of fingerprints captured will rise from two to ten to integrate the records with the BVN system, as the country attempts to integrate identity data to reduce crime.
Breakdown
Threat: Nigerian Communication Commission ordering mobile phone users to link their IDs to simcards or else their simcards would be blocked
At-Risk group: Nigerians
Harm: Decisional Interference
Secondary Consequences: not known