Nigeria Data Protection Commission Probes 400 Cases of Privacy Breach in Online Loan Apps

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission is investigating over 400 cases of privacy breaches involving online loan apps.

The commission which made this known in its 2023 Annual Report made available to Journalists today, explained that cases of data privacy breaches have become prevalent in recent times due to the proliferation of digital lending platforms.

While noting that its ongoing investigations have revealed that loan apps are overly intrusive, NDPC is also seeking a ban or restriction on mobile numbers found to have been used by lenders to breach the privacy of their customers.

The Commission noted that despite an April 2023 policy introduced by Google banning loan apps from accessing photos and contacts of users, the practice has continued unabated.

Acknowledging that privacy breaches by loan apps are a systemic problem, the commission said it is also adopting a systemic solution by working with other regulators and third-party platforms being used by the lenders.

The NDPC added that it is also collaborating with regulators under the Joint Enforcement and Regulatory Taskforce to sanitise the digital lending space.