SIM Fraud Solution Sparks Privacy Fears

Privacy and facts security concerns have been raised about a plan to connection South African phone users’ biometric info to their SIM playing cards.

The proposal by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) was amid a list of draft laws revealed by the watchdog for general public commentary in March. If accredited, it would give mobile phone networks access to their customer’s fingerprints, facial recognition info, retina scans and biometric and behavioral details.

“On activation of a cell selection on its network, a licensee should guarantee that it collects and hyperlinks the biometric data of the subscriber to the number,” states the proposal. 

“A licensee need to guarantee that, at all occasions, it has the existing biometric details of an assigned cell amount.”

Less than the proposal, the mobile network ought to guarantee that the biometric data of a consumer requesting a SIM swap corresponds with the biometric info affiliated with the cell selection.

Icasa claimed the proposed new security measure would cut down fraudulent exercise and SIM swapping attacks. 

“The authority is of the view that the association of mobile figures with the biometric info of a subscriber will assist to curb the hijacking of assigned subscriber mobile numbers,” reported Icasa.

Customers of the community, who have until eventually Could 11 to comment on the proposal, have expressed fears that it will direct to an invasion of privacy. Identification theft issues have been lifted in submissions to the DearSA website that question what could occur if a SIM card is stolen or cloned.

Other submissions talk to what could occur if the biometric details entrusted to the treatment of phone networks is shed, hacked or stolen. 

Dear SA chairperson Rob Hutchinson said concerns had also been elevated all over the use of private data by the provider providers and potentially by the authorities. 

“We experience that this invoice, though well-intentioned, has main flaws in realistic software,” stated Hutchinson.

“The community participation procedure has so much uncovered quite a few valid fears from all those who will be affected – which will ideally motivate Icasa to look at the public enter and redraft the proposal to meet the fears of the public and necessities of authorities.

Some pieces of this short article are sourced from:
www.infosecurity-magazine.com