Telecoms: Big anonymous sim cards hunting operation
The three phone carriers (IAM, Orange, Inwi) have been ordered (by the telecom regulator, ANRT) to identify all subscribers to their services, within a maximum of three months. In other words, within three months (next October at the most), the three phone carriers will have the right to deactivate anonymous SIM cards. The telecom operators will only be able to activate a SIM card if they have all the personal identification data of the cardholder. This decision has just been confirmed by the Ministry in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform. The new decision draws its legitimacy from a piece of legislation, according to which each subscriber, whoever he or she is, must provide precise information on their identity (family name, first names, national ID card number), address, contract subscription date, phone carrier, and other information). In addition to issues related to security and the identification of illegal subscribers, this measure is supposed to authenticate contracts, and make the databases of telecom operators more reliable and up to date. This measure will also limit unwanted text messages. On the other hand, it will now be up to each phone carrier to identify customers who have made card purchases from networks of distributors, authorized resellers, sales agents, kiosks or even street vendors (in the traditional markets, urban centers, and other places). These measures aim at fighting the use and proliferation of anonymous SIM cards. At the same time, this approach will allow any phone subscriber to have a valid contract and above all to be identified. As a reminder, the subject of anonymous SIM cards is one of the longstanding issues remaining to be solved in the mobile phone market in Morocco. In the past, all the decisions of ANRT, the telecom regulator, related to this same subject, turned out to be unsuccessful, yet the law is clear. All network operators are required to comply with the telecommunications law and the related implementing decrees.
What the law says
The legislation requires “the identification of any holder of a SIM card”. In addition, the non-identification of subscribers contradicts the provisions of law (09-08) relating to the protection of natural persons and the processing of personal data. Clearly, compliance with the law (09-08) systematically requires the involvement of phone carriers, through the collection of personal data of all of their customers and the processing of this information in compliance with the conditions provided for by the same law. “All customers must be subject to precise identification comprising the following elements: family name and first names, address, and copy of an official ID card…”. This identification must be made upon subscription to a phone contract, with the supporting evidence.
Amin Rboub
