A politically chased out worker of the National Identification Authority, NIA based on his name and home region, Volta though in Ghana, Yayra Koku has come up with some relevant questions and answers relating to the ongoing SIM CARD registration.
Mr. Yayra Koku, an IT expert, was then with the IT department of the National Identification Authority, NIA, National Headquarters, Accra.
The following are his technical questions and answers he deemed necessary and tweeted for the general public to understand:
QUESTION: Is National Identification Authority (NIA) currently authenticating Ghana cards for the ongoing SIM card registration?
ANSWER: No Question: Why?
Because the NIA does not have any input in the development of the said Android Registration Application, for this reason NIA is unable to confirm that the biometric data to be collected by the NCA for the SIM card registration will meet the standard to enable successful authentication against the National Identification System (NIS) database.
QUESTION: Can the biometric data for the SIM card registration be used to match the NIA database in future or after the registration?
ANSWER: No.
QUESTION: Why.
ANSWERS: Technically, NIA is unable to verify against the National Identification System (NIS) database non-live biometric.
Information of applicants once collected and stored by third parties. NIA cannot guarantee the quality and accuracy of biometric data collected and transferred by a user agency. 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 ina 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.
QUESTION: Can the NIA unique PIN be used to export data from the NIA system?
ANSWER: Yes, but NIA cannot guarantee that the PIN an applicant used for the SIM registration is the same person in the NIA database. It is only a Live fingerprint that can authenticate the real identity of a person in the NIA system.
QUESTION: Can NIA, in their capacity be able to register the SIM?
ANSWERS: Yes. NIA, as part of their registration, collects the phone numbers of applicants. These numbers are stored in the NIA database and linked to the person’s Unique ID. A search with the person’s phone number will pull the person’s record in the NIA system.
QUESTION: How do you authenticate the validity of phone numbers if NIA is to register SIMs as part of their registration
ANSWER: I dont think NIA goes to anyone’s house to check their place of residence before they capture their GPS code or residential address. Same way with the parents’ names that are captured. NIA officials don’t verify from such people before they are captured as the applicant’s parents.
In any way, NIA could have done a One Time Password (OTP) in their system to check the validity of the phone numbers of applicants who appear to register for their Ghana cards.
QUESTION: Does it mean that anytime I buy a new SIM card, I will need to go to NIA for them to register me?
ANSWER: No. NIA can harmonise their data with the TELCOS so that they can have view access to the relevant fields in the NIA system and be updating people’s phone numbers as a means of registering.
QUESTION: Does it mean that anytime I update my phone number, I have to go and get a new NIA card?
ANSWER: No. Phone numbers are not stored on the Ghana CARD
QUESTION: So what is the way forward?
ANSWER: The government should halt the SIM card registration and go back to the drawing board and engage all stakeholders, especially the NIA, so that data harmonisation between NIA and the Telcos can happen with NCA playing a supervisory role.
Let me know if you have other questions I couldn’t add here.
By Yayra Koku.
Source:Nationaltymes.com
