In 2020, Safaricom should do something about the data privacy concerns raised in various fora. I think one of the most controversial features that was introduced in 2019 was Hakikisha. Touted as a way to reduce money sent to the wrong recipients, it has become a major headache for those who are conscious about privacy of personal data. It is a good thing that you can only 'hakikisha' upto 5 times per day. However, this limit does not seem to work on mySafaricom app. The basic argument is that just because I need to send you money, you don't have to know my full names as they appear on ID. Secondly, this service has been abused by fraudsters multiple times to access personal data that they should otherwise have not access to. The lack of a limit on MySafaricom App means that a fraudster can guess random Safaricom numbers and get their full names as they appear on ID many many times in a day. The problem is that Safaricom does not seem to do anything about all the concerns raised from different quarters about the Hakikisha feature. One viable recommendation has been to give each MPESA user a unique 'SafaricomID'. This ID, whether numeric or alphanumeric, *should be displayed* when sending or receiving money via MPESA. In the Safaricom registry, this ID should mirror all the users legal data and can be easily accessed by an authorized person if an issue/crime/money-sent-to-the-wrong-person-case comes up. This simple action will cut down the fraudsters who propagate their business via mobile money by at least half. If you look at it deeply, I think it is your problem if you are not diligent enough and send money to a wrong number. You simply tell MPESA what to do just like you fill a transaction advice at a bank. You can't blame the teller if you missed a digit when writing the account number and the money ended in the wrong account. Your phone number has now become a virtual nametag which you wear waiting for whoever cares, even strangers, to read your full names. I think this should stop in 2020! *And btw, anyone has a case study of the much hyped data protection law being implemented?* -------------------------------- *Nick Ngatia* Email <nick.ngatia@childrenyouth.org> *|* Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/niccoswagg1> *|* *Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/nickngatia> **| LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-ngatia-a6b06a7b?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile_pic> * *Skype:* *nick.ngatia** |* *Phone:* *+25**4 (0) 711 42 2015* *"Development Towards Sustainability is far too more important to leave it to chance."* ---------------------------------