The National Identification Authority (NIA) has responded to a request submitted to them by a Ghanaian citizen on its operation.
The NIA in it’s response said they cannot use the biometric data the Telcos are collecting to verify what is in their database.
This is because the Telcos are just taking pictures of fingerprints and are not collecting live fingerprints.
“NIA is unable to confirm that the biometric data to be collected by the NCA for the purpose described above will meet the standard to enable successful verification against the National Identification System (NIS) database.”
The NIA further revealed that it the y were not involved in the App (developed by KelniGVG) to register the SIMs.
“The use of an App that is not developed or certified by NIA to rend the Ghana Card using a two-step data collection and verification process is outside NIA’s control. NIA is therefore unable to guarantee the results of such a process.”
The NIA has further indicated that if there should be any form of verification, it should be a live biometric data against what is on the card to establish the identify of the person.
However, that is not what the various telecommunication companies are doing.
“With reference to Regulation 9 of L.1.2111 titled Power to verify identity by biometric match, persons who wish to ascertain the authenticity of the Ghana Card must use a portable identity card reader to scan the individual’s fingerprints and match the template of the live print with that which is stored in a storage medium embodied in the Ghana Card or the NIS database through a secure link. As NIA is not part of the biometric data collection stage of the SIM card registration process, it is also unable to confirm that it is in a position to verify the non-live biometric information to be collected by the telecommunication companies or NCA for and on behalf of the telecommunications companies.”
Let me repeat; this sim card registration is needless cos NIA already has the data. We are going to END up with a more fraudulent registration system.
The Ghanaian citizen wrote the NIA through the Right to Information Bill to among other things demand confirmation that the biometric data to be collected by the NCA for the purpose of SIM registration is in a format, and of sufficiently high quality for successful verification against the National Identification System.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
