Following the findings of the investigation by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has restricted its licensed agents’ access to the National Identification Number (NIN) database.
Recall that a report by FIJ had alleged that
expressverify.com, a private website, has unrestricted access to the NINs and
personal details of every registered Nigerian. It added that, the website has
monetised the recovery of NINs and personal information on the Nigerian
identification database.
The NDPC, which is investigating the incidence of data
breach at NIMC, averred that, the ongoing investigation has revealed that a
third party which, among others, was originally authorised to provide
verification services to citizens and genuine businesses might have allowed
expressverify.com to use its NIN verification credentials to conduct
verification.
The NDPC added that the ongoing investigation by relevant
agencies seeks to establish the medium through which expressverify.com obtained
the credentials of bona fide third parties and to determine the liability of
persons involved in line with extant laws.
“At the moment, data processing by licensees generally are
to be scrutinized and only those that are cleared based on credible evidence of
regulatory compliance will be permitted to carry out NIN verification going
forward.
“Furthermore, a series of intensive training will be
conducted to ensure that personnel and licensees are abreast of the duty of
care and the standard of care mandated by the Nigeria Data Protection Act,
NIMC’s Privacy Policy, and other relevant regulatory protocols,” it said.
While noting that the circumstances surrounding this
permission are still under investigation, the Commission in a statement said,
“To remedy this incident, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC),
in line with established remediation protocols, barred all forms of access to
its database.
“Though necessary, barring all forms of access affected all
genuine and crucial verification requests. After a painstaking review, limited
access has been granted to a few establishments that are providing pivotal
public services such as education and security.”
The NDPC called on members of the public to see NIN as
essential data for sustainable development.
According to the
commission, while existing technical and organizational measures are
being strengthened to ensure the protection of this data, citizens need to
ensure that they are not left unidentified in various frameworks for
development.