The Paradigm Initiative, a digital rights organisation, has discovered that millions of Nigerians’ personal data is being sold on the internet for as little as 100 Naira (7 cents). This contains private information like a person’s phone number, driving licence, international passport, tax identification number (TIN), permanent voter’s card (PVC), driving licence, bank verification number (BVN), virtual NIN, and company details.
The digital rights organisation named AnyVerify.com.ng, a platform that has been active in Nigeria’s digital domain since November 2023, in a statement that was made public on June 20, 2024. Paradigm Initiative reports that in February 2024, this website received 567,990 visits, and in April 2024, it received 188,360 visits.
Gbenga Sesan, the executive director of Paradigm Initiative, stated, “We tested the website, archived it, and could pay for NIN slips belonging to Bosun Tijani, the minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, and Vincent Olatunji, the commissioner of the NDPC.”
Allegations of a data leak have been refuted by the NIMC. The Commission informed the public that their data is secure and has not been compromised in a press release on Saturday, June 22, signed by Kayode Adegoke, Head of Corporate Communications.