The Unwanted Witness Petitions Uganda Communications Commission to conduct investigations into the MTN Uganda’s sharing and misuse of subscribers’ personal data/information.

Kampala 22/December/2015, the Unwanted Witness has petitioned the telecom regulator, Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) calling for an immediate investigation into circumstances under which MTN Uganda shared its 10 million subscribers’ personal data with the National Resistance Movement (NRM) to campaign for president Museveni on people’s phones without their consent. The Unwanted Witness opinion is that the actions of MTN Uganda violate the global compact principles on Business and Human Rights.

MTN Uganda last week shared personal data generated during the recent SIM Card registration with NRM’s Tuongee Communications Center which has since used code number “0207” to deliver candidate Museveni’s recorded voice calls to subscribers.

Under the UCC Act, telecom service providers are mandated to ensure and maintain confidentiality of the content of all communications whether data or any information that is obtained as a result of the service offered. This service can only be disclosed to third party with the commission’s written consent or by an order of a competent court of law.

“The past three weeks we have witnessed gross violation of the law and invention of citizens’ right to privacy by MTN Uganda and NRM under the watchful eye of UCC as a regulator. This is unacceptable and we want UCC to evoke its legal mandate to immediately protect people’s data/information by investigating MTN Uganda’s illegal conduct and restrain NRM party from further sending/spamming of subscribers with unsolicited political messages.” Says Jeff Wokulira Ssebaggala, CEO Unwanted Witness Uganda.

He noted that since it is the mandate of the commission to ensure that all telecommunications consumers are registered, it’s important that the same is extended to errant companies who misuse the generated personal data.

Once found responsible for sharing and misusing subscribers’ data, we call upon the UCC to make the findings public and take punitive measures against MTN Uganda.

Click here to get a copy of the petition; …

For more information contact;
THE UNWANTED WITNESS – Uganda
Plot 41 Gadaffi Road, Makerere- Kampala
P. O. Box 71314 Clock Tower K’la
Telephone: +256 414 697 635
Email:         info@unwantedwitness.or.ug
Website: www.unwantedwitness.or.ug
Skype:        unwantedwitness
Twitter:     @unwantedwitness
Face book: Unwantedwitness-Uganda