He disclosed that the ultimatum came into effect on 15th April, 2019, adding that NATCOM is expecting every MNO to comply.
“The Commission took this decision because of the rise in cyber crime. We have received complaints from the general public bordering on impersonation, mobile money theft, murder-related cases, among many others,” he said.
He went on to say that NATCOM which is Sierra Leone’s sole telecommunications regulator, wants to ensure that the criteria for SIM cards’ registration are strictly followed through by all MNOs.
“These criteria include names, addresses, photos, etc of all subscribers. Once these are available in our data system, we would be able to tackle cyber crime by arresting any suspect,” Mr. Kamara told AYV.
NATCOM’s cyber security head maintained that some social media users are in the habit of breaking into someone’s private account and then start to post trash, thereby putting the real owner’s security into threat.
He added that NATCOM has the responsibility to protect subscribers by prioritising national security.
He noted that penalties for failing to meet the 90 days ultimatum would be determined by NATCOM.
