Criminals are reportedly selling sensitive data from government-issued documents (passport, national identity card, etc) belonging to Nigerians on online black markets for as little as N100.
The data includes passport numbers, bank verification numbers (BVNs), tax identification numbers (TINs), and driver’s licence details.
A report from the Paradigm Initiative (PIN) has led to a lawsuit against Anyverify, a website claiming to verify Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), National Identification Numbers (NINs), BVNs, or TINs for a fee of N100.
Launched in November 2023, Anyverify operates without authorization to verify and share citizens’ details.
Despite its unauthorized status, Anyverify has seen significant traffic, with 567,990 visits in February and 188,360 visits in April. How the website obtained access to the classified data of millions of Nigerians remains unclear.
PIN has criticized the sale of this information as a severe privacy breach, undermining the trust citizens place in government institutions to protect their sensitive details.
The initiative expressed concern that the unauthorized sale of personal data could facilitate criminal activities such as kidnapping and internet fraud, posing a threat to national security.
In response, PIN is seeking a court order for a thorough investigation into Anyverify’s activities and publication of the findings. They are also calling for compensation for affected individuals from relevant government agencies.
Additionally, PIN is demanding that all government institutions implement technical measures to secure citizens’ data.
Pre-action notices have been sent to several government agencies, including the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
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