- Paradigm Initiative, a digital rights organisation, has revealed that several unauthorised platforms are holding and selling Nigerian citizens' sensitive personal and financial data for as low as ₦100.
- This development on a major breach of the fundamental rights to privacy and data privacy rights was contained in a press statement published on Thursday, June 20, 2024.
- In the statement, the organisation specifically named AnyVerify.com.ng as one of the platforms engaged in this illegal commerce.
Per the statement, AnyVerify.com.ng, involved in the commercial distribution of personal and private data of Nigerians, has a drop-down on its webpage that displays the range of data services it offers.
Some of its alleged illegitimate services include personal data such as the National Identity Number (NIN), Bank Verification Number (BVN), virtual NIN, Driving License, International Passport, Company details, Tax Identification Number (TIN), Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC), and Phone Numbers.
According to Paradigm Initiative, the website sells each of this personal information to anyone willing to pay ₦100.
The extent to which this data breach, if true, has compromised the sensitive data of millions of Nigerians collected during various government exercises remains unclear.
The information presented by Paradigm Initiative suggests that AnyVerify.com, which has been in operation in the Nigerian digital space since November 2023, was visited 567,990 times in February 2024 and 188,360 times in April 2024.
“This alarming development presents a major breach of the fundamental rights to privacy, a breach of data privacy rights and poses significant risks to individuals and the national economy,” part of the statement read.
This revelation is coming on the heels of another data breach reported by Fij.ng, alerting the public and the government that an unauthorised private website, www.XpressVerify.com.ng, had access to and monetised registered Nigerians’ data.
Following the publication of that story, the website was soon taken down.
With this new revelation, however, it seems another platform has since risen to take its place, raising concerns that there may be many more such websites.
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When Technext contacted Gbenga Sesan, the Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, for comment, he clarified that while his organisation isn’t claiming that AnyVerify is unauthorised since only the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) can confirm or deny such, the platform’s practice of selling private data of Nigerians for ₦100 is illegal and violates Nigeria’s Data Protection law.
The organisation urged the Nigerian government to conduct a thorough investigation to identify these illegal online activities and enhance cybersecurity measures to prevent further data breaches.
It also advised the government to implement the country’s Data Protection Act, “strengthening the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), and guaranteeing the independence of the NDPC, to ensure the privacy and security of citizens’ information.”
