The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) stated that the central bank’s recent policy ordering commercial banks to gather their clients’ social media handles “is not necessary.”
BizWatch Nigeria recalls that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) urged banks on Sunday to collect and verify social media profiles as part of their Know-Your-Customer (KYC) procedures for permanent or infrequent consumers.
According to the CBN, the new regulation aims to prevent financial crimes and terrorism while improving the precision and thoroughness of customer identification.
However, in a statement issued on Thursday by Itunu Dosekun, the NDPC’s head of media, Vincent Olatunji, the commission’s national commissioner, stated that data collecting should follow due process.
“There are provisions in the law to go against any data controller be it private or government office, NGOs, hotels, because we are pro-citizens,” he said.
“The whole idea of this law is to protect the rights, the interests of Nigerians who are data subjects.
“We are already engaging with the CBN to let them know that what they have done is against the law because there are basic principles you must meet when you want to collect citizens’ data.
“There is data minimisation, meaning you don’t collect data beyond the purpose for which it was intended, purpose limitation, what purpose is it for.”
