The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) said it is probing Truecaller service – The federal agency said Truecaller is breaching the privacy of Nigerians as against the global laws on data protection and the Nigerian law – According to NITDA, the development has “encouraged unscrupulous persons to continue using Nigerian identities to perpetrate fraud” The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has commenced investigations into the potential breach of privacy of Nigerians by Truecaller Service. The federal agency said its initial findings revealed that Truecaller privacy policy is not in compliance with global laws on data protection and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR). The agency, in a statement signed by its DG/CEO, Kashifu Abdullahi Inuwa, also said it found out that there are over seven million Nigerian users using Truecaller, hence the need to enlighten the public on the service’s non-compliance with privacy policies. According to the agency, the Truecaller service collects far more information than it actually needs to provide its primary service. NITDA added that the development has “encouraged unscrupulous persons to continue using Nigerian identities to perpetrate fraud.” The statement reads in part: “By supplementing the personal information of Nigerians without specific consent and accuracy, they are susceptible to serious invasion of their privacy. This has encouraged unscrupulous persons to continue using Nigerian identities to perpetuate fraud.” The agency, however, gave assurance that it will continue to protect the rights of Nigerians on the digital space. “NITDA would like to assure Nigerians that it will continue to monitor the activities of the digital service providers with a view to ensuring that the rights of Nigerians are not unduly breached while also improving the operational environment to support ethical players in their bid to get maximum benefit from Nigeria,” the statement reads. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the general public, especially smartphone users, had been advised to stop borrowing charging cables, popularly known as chargers, to avoid being hacked. A Cybersecurity expert, Charles Henderson, advised that the common practice of people borrowing phone chargers from others when theirs get misplaced or left at home should be discouraged as it has serious security consequences.
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