Safaricom addresses allegations of sharing customer data with police
...says customer data is only shared when legally required by a court of law
Safaricom has come out strongly to address allegations that it’s aiding in abductions by sharing its customer data with the police.
In a statement issued on Thursday evening, the telco reaffirmed its commitment to customer data privacy, noting that customer data is only shared when legally required by a court of law.
“We respect our customers’ privacy and adhere strictly by the country’s data protection laws. As such we do not share any customer data unless explicitly required of us via a court order,” read the statement in part.
The statement from Safaricom follows recent reports that alleged the telco granted the police unrestricted access to sensitive customer information, including Call Data Records (CDRs), which they used to track down individuals said to have committed crimes, thus infringing upon their privacy rights.
The reports emerged on October 29, following a story done by a local publication the Daily Nation.
Safaricom notes that CDRs do not offer real-time location or movement information about customers.
“That for information purposes a customer’s Call Data Record (CDR) does not show any live location and movements of customers but is generated after a call is terminated and for text messages once they are sent or received and this is for purposes of billing only,” it said.
Safaricom also referenced its recently awarded ISO 27701 Privacy Information Management System (PIMS) certification by the British Standards Institute (BSI) as proof of its adherence to data privacy laws and policies.
“This is the highest certification an organisation can attain in management of privacy information systems, as a data controller or processor, a testament to our commitment to preserve our customer privacy and provide a worry-free experience on our network,” it said.
The telco further said that it had integrated its systems with technologies that would prevent third parties from accessing the information of customers.
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