Senators to Investigate Safaricom After Concerns of Data Breach

The Senate Committee on ICT is set to investigate Safaricom following privacy and data breach concerns among Kenyans.

In a statement by Parliament dated Friday, November 1, it was revealed that Migori Senator Eddy Oketch had moved to have the committee investigate the recent concerns raised by Kenyans.

The move by the Senator came after it was alleged that Safaricom was sharing information about their customers' location with the authorities.

Consequently, Senator Oketch is seeking to have the committee establish the facts around the allegations including data concerns raised in the last four years.

The Senator is also seeking to know whether there is an agreement between Safaricom and Security agencies on the sharing of data.

“The Committee should determine why Safaricom receives a higher volume of data breach complaints compared to other service providers explaining the discrepancy in access to subscriber data by the government and its agencies when tracking suspects but the same is not made available to assist subscribers in tracing lost phones," the Senator asked the committee.

Safaricom's Response

Earlier, Safaricom had denied reports of sharing information about their customers with security agencies.

Additionally, the telecommunication company indicated that it had put a system in place to block access to its data by third parties.

"We respect our customers' privacy and adhere strictly to the country’s data protection laws. As such we do not share any customer data unless explicitly required of us via a court order," the company noted in response to the allegations.

"For information purposes, a customer’s Call Data Record (CDR) does not show any live location and movements of customers but is generated after a call is terminated and for text messages once they are sent or received and this is for purposes of billing only."