Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday confessed that data of passengers acquired during the process of mobile phone registration is being leaked and misused with connivance of travel agents. The PTA has sent 750 cases of data theft to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and several arrests have been made so far, revealed PTA Member Compliance & Enforcement Dr Khawar Siddique while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication.
The committee met with Rubina Khalid in the chair where the misuse of passengers' data acquired during the process of mobile registration was discussed. The committee, however, observed that mobile phones are also being registered in the names of children and it cannot happen without involvement of some internal people. The committee strongly proposed having a foolproof system of data security and making the people aware about it. The committee members remarked that the system was launched to curb smuggling but it has done less good and more bad for customers.
The PTA official told the meeting that mobile registration system has become totally automated and the system has been integrated with FBR and is highly secure. The committee, however, did not buy the argument that the system is causing any convenience. The committee members said smuggling is there because there is no mobile phone manufacturing industry in the country and phones are being smuggled in huge numbers till date. The PTA told the meeting that 663,622 personal users have registered themselves since February 2019. Out of these 440,821 were registered under FBR baggage rule exemption with no tax, 12,293 were registered under duty paid category. It was told that against 5.89 million commercial mobile phone imports in first four months of 2016, an increase to 9.27 million commercially imported phones was registered during the same period of 2019.
The committee observed that the system put in place by PTA and FBR is not properly publicised and decided to call FBR and FIA in next meeting to brief the committee on the system in addition to a briefing by the PTA. The PTA officials informed the committee that the misuse of data is being done in violation of FRB baggage rule law where user credentials including passport and CNIC are being used for getting registration under FBR baggage rule exemption.
While discussing the matter of nominal cost being taken to register the mobile phones and the money not being sent to the state, the mover said people at local shops are registering phones without following any due process and identity details. The member PTA told the committee that this is occurring as part of the same misuse of passengers' information which is put in the portal and the phone gets registered. He said PTA on receiving complaints refers the inquiry to FIA. The IMEI cloning being is done where a fake device is reprogrammed with a PTA complaint IMEI. Under prevention of Electronic Crime Act (PECA 2017) rule 18, "tampering etc of communication equipment - whoever unlawfully or without authorisation changes, alerts, tamper with or reprograms unique device identify of any communication equipment including a cellular or wireless handsets and starts using or marketing such device for transmitting information shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to 3 years or with fine which may extend to one million rupees or with both.
While briefing the committee on the project of IT Park in Islamabad, project director Amir Ahmed said proposed IT Park will cover 14.9 acres of land area and the total project cost is $88,380,020 and only $12 million of which are through PSDP and the rest by EXIM Bank funding. The project will be completed by 31 August 2022 and will have IT offices, laboratories, incubation centres, and academia industry linkage opportunities, and will provide space for IT infrastructure to private businesses and new entrepreneurs. The meeting was attended among others by Senators Kalsoom Parveen, Rukhsana Zuberi, Faisal Javed, Ghous Muhammad Niazi, Abdur Rehman Malik, Mian Ateeq Shaikh, Taj Afridi, Joint Secretary IT Taimur Khan and Member PTA Khawar Siddique.
Comments
Comments are closed.