By:Justicia Shipena
Capturing of biometric data will no longer be required during subscriber identity module (SIM) card registration, the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) has said.
This comes after the legality of telecommunications company MTC collecting biometric data from citizens registering their SIM cards was called into doubt in January of this year.
In the same month, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) spoke out against MTC’s practise of obtaining fingerprints and photographs of customers who come in for SIM card registration.
Since the campaign’s inception in 2022, MTC has been gathering biometric data and photographing clients registering their SIM cards.
“Cran issued a directive to all concerned operators that the mandatory capturing of biometric data will no longer be required for the purpose of SIM card registration,” said Emilia Nghikembua, Chief Executive Officer.
MTC stated in February of this year that it has decreased phone fraud by 80% since it began collecting biometric data when registering SIM cards last year.
MTC’s Human Capital and Corporate Affairs Officer Tim Ekandjo stated in February that the extension of registering SIM cards with facial and biometric data seeks to combat cybercrime, fraud and secure their business and consumers.
However, Nghikembua in a press statement on Friday, said operators will only need the information specified in the regulations, which include the customer’s name, address of ordinary residence, Namibian ID, passport, or any other official identity document issued by the government of any other country.
Customers who voluntarily desire to share their biometrics data, on the other hand, are welcome to do so, said Nghikembua.
Mandatory SIM card registration began on 1 January 2023, and telecommunications service providers have 12 months to complete the registration of all existing subscribers and must do so by 31 December 2023.
Cran stated it has frequently received concerns from members of the public and the media about some mobile operators requesting biometric data during the SIM card registration procedure in the absence of a data protection legislation framework.
According to the Cran, SIM card registration is a nationwide project aimed at expediting the investigation of crimes committed using telecommunications devices and improving e-commerce and online trading.
Cran said that there are additional benefits and use cases that are directly supported by digital identity registration.
The regulator futher said the use of digital or online services has increased, creating opportunities for Namibians to embrace virtual education and learning, mobile banking and online shopping, to name a few.
“In order to meet the objectives of the SIM registration process, all telecommunications operators will, going forward, allow customers to register their SIM cards via processes that do not require mandatory collection of biometric data,” Nghikembua said.
She said operators have made good progress and urged all consumers to register their SIM cards before the deadline of December 31, 2023.
Nghikembua urged consumers who were dissatisfied with any aspect of the registration procedure to file complaints with the authority for adjudication and settlement.