The Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority, Wisdom Yayra Deku, has backed the need for a new SIM card registration.
According to the cybersecurity expert, the registration conducted in 2022 under Ursula Owusu, then Minister for Communications and Digitisation, was incomplete.
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In a Facebook post, he revealed that “fingerprints collected during the SIM card registration exercise in 2022 were NEVER used to verify or authenticate SIM card owners against the National Identification Authority (NIA) system”.
“They only took a picture of your fingerprints and saved them in whatever system they were using,” he insisted.
He emphasised that “It is important to understand that you cannot confirm the identity of an individual without them undergoing biometric authentication—which includes fingerprint scanning, facial recognition with liveliness checks, iris scanning, etc.”
Mr. Deku’s comments come on the back of the Minister for Communication and Digitisation, Mr. Sam Nartey George’s announcement that there will be a new SIM Card registration in the first quarter of next year.
Mr. Deku announced that the NIA is ready for the new exercise next year.
I support this 100% and NIA is really to be part and make sure the right thing is done this time.
Read his full post:
The fingerprints collected during the SIM card registration exercise in 2022 were NEVER used to verify or authenticate SIM card owners against the National Identification Authority (NIA) system. They only took a picture of your fingerprints and saved them in whatever system they were using.
Let me emphasize: captured fingerprints were not used to authenticate identities with any authoritative system. Prof Attafuah’s (Fmr NIA Boss) letter in September 2021 to the Telecoms chamber confirms this.
It is important to understand that you cannot confirm the identity of an individual without them undergoing biometric authentication—which includes fingerprint scanning, facial recognition with liveliness checks, iris scanning, etc.
I support this 100% and NIA is really to be part and make sure the right thing is done this time.
