Gov't To Tap Into Citizens' Privacy - Minority

A bill that will guarantee access to call conversations in Ghana by the Government is in the offing. The Minority in Parliament has claimed and vowed to resist it. Kwaku Kwarteng, Obuasi West MP (NPP), revealed, Cabinet has approved the bill and will table it in Parliament soon. “We will fight it to the teeth”, Kwaku Kwarteng vowed. A private ICT firm, Afriwave, has won the contract to install an Interconnect Clearing House and also help monitor revenue for government. It is expected that Afriwave would collect call traffic data from one network and pass on to another. For example, Airtel calls to Tigo destinations will land on the ICH which will pass them to Tigo. This is described as cross-network communications and it constitutes 30% of all call traffic in Ghana. Kwaku Kwarteng says Afriwave's contract and the entire ICH system is being challenged in court. He says this infringes on the privacy arrangement that subscribers have agreed to with a preferred network. “Telecos do not have the right to surrender [call traffic] to a third party”. He says he is confident the court will rule in his favour. About 70% of all call traffic is made within the same network. The ICH does not affect this traffic. But the Minority warns this could soon change. Kwaku Kwarteng revealed that a draft bill was ready to give ICH the right to the remaining call traffic. “Government can now be privy to all the communication content that will go through ICH”, an alarmed lawmaker revealed. Incensed by the prospect, Kwaku Kwarteng vowed that the Minority “will not allow it to happen”.