Staff Reporter
THE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN), Emilia Nghikembua, is encouraging the public to comply with the SIM card registration conditions, emphasising that the registration will likely not violate the privacy of users, but could assist with crime prevention and investigation.
According to Nghikembua, the SIM registration, which will be mandatory from 1 January 2023, will not introduce mass surveillance, interception or privacy violations. Instead, she said, the initiative will likely enhance crime prevention and investigation by assisting with the identification of criminals.
With regards to mass surveillance, Nghikembua explained that, unless a court order is obtained through the relevant procedures stipulated in legislation, there will not be any mass surveillance of public members. While emphasising that the registration will not introduce interception, she also noted that interception has been taking place since 1997 under the Namibia Central Intelligence Service Act, Criminal Procedure Act and the Combatting and Prevention of Terrorists Activities Act.
Nonetheless, she explained that there will be no central database held by CRAN and each telecommunications operator will store the information of their respective subscribers. However, she said that this does not mean that operators will have access to subscribers’ texts, telephonic conversations or any active communications. She added that the network design, as authorised by CRAN, is not capable of tapping or recording conversations or messages.
The CEO also dismissed claims that suggest that SIM registration risks sabotaging the work of investigative journalists, arguing that if the registration of SIM cards had a negative impact on media freedom, Namibia would not have enjoyed the good media rating that it experienced over the years.
As for the general fear that the initiative risks infringing on users’ privacy, Nghikembua pointed out that the right to privacy is not absolute and may be limited in accordance with the law. She emphasised that the Namibian judiciary is full of ample precedence certifying this.
CRAN is currently in the process of executing the National Awareness Campaign to educate the nation about the mandatory SIM registration conditions. Nghikembua urged the public to support the campaign.
REGISTER SIM card: CRAN CEO, Emilia Nghikembua, encourages the public to comply with SIM registration conditions which will be effective from 1 January 2023. Photo: CRAN.
