The Socio-Financial Rights and Accountability Venture has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to order the Nigerian Communications Fee to withdraw the directive asking Nigerians to submit the Worldwide Cell Tools Identification (IMEI) of their telephones.
The Nigerian Communications Fee had said that Nigerians must submit the Worldwide Cell Tools Identification of their telephones to it from July.
In response, SERAP said that the directive ought to be withdrawn, noting that it can’t be justified below any circumstance.
The group stated the NCC’s directive quantities to mass surveillance, which is opposite to the 1999 Structure and would have a profound influence on different human rights.
A tweet from SERAP learn, “We urge President Buhari to direct the Nigerian Communications Fee to right away withdraw the unlawful directive asking Nigerians to submit the Worldwide Cell Tools Identification of their telephones.
“We’ll see in courtroom if this isn’t withdrawn inside 48 hours.
“The directive can’t be justified below any circumstances, because it quantities to mass surveillance, which is opposite to the Nigerian Structure of 1999 [as amended], and violates the rights to privateness, freedom of expression, and would have a profound influence on different human rights.”
The regulatory physique had made the directive within the fee’s Revised Nationwide Identification Coverage for SIM Card Registration.
That is a part of NCC’s transfer to start out the implementation of the System Administration System (a Centralised Tools Identification Register) backed by President Muhammadu Buhari, in keeping with Punch.
A portion of the coverage stated, “Accordingly, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has directed that the System Administration System ought to be carried out inside three months.”
The NCC stated, “With the goal to curtail the counterfeit cell phone market, discourage cell phone theft, improve Nationwide Safety, shield shopper curiosity, improve income era for the federal government, cut back the speed of kidnapping, mitigate the usage of stolen telephones for crime, and facilitate blocking or tracing of stolen cell phones and different good units, one of many means to realize that is by means of the deployment of System Administration System.
“The implementation of a Centralised Tools Identification Register in any other case generally known as System Administration System will function a repository for maintaining information of all registered cell phones’ Worldwide Cell Tools Identification and homeowners of such units.
“IMEIs which have been reported as both stolen or unlawful shall be shared by means of the DMS to all of the operators and repair suppliers.”
The IMEI quantity is the cell phone’s fingerprint. It’s a 15-digit quantity distinctive to every cellphone. With the IMEI quantity, a cellphone may be tracked and situated no matter the mobile quantity in it.
