Logos of Telcos currently opearting in Ghana
A private legal practitioner Francis Kwarteng Arthur, has sued the National Communications Authority (NCA) and owners of telecommunication services in the country over the re-registration of SIM cards.
The lawyer is praying the High Court to stop the collection of personal data of subscribers for the re-registration exercise.
The lawyer is seeking an enforcement of his fundamental human rights to administrative justice, to speech, to information and to privacy.
He is also seeking an interlocutory injunction to halt the process until the final determination of the case.
The NCA (1st Respondent) is sued together with Ghana Telecommunications Company Limited (2nd Respondent), Scancom PLC (3rd Respondent), AIRTELTIGO Ghana Limited (4th Respondent) while the Attorney General was put on notice.
He is asking the court to “make an order directing at the 1st Respondent / Respondent to suspend its notice to Mobile network operators directing, instructing or requesting them to procure, store or use the Applicant’s personal information (including the fingerprint of other subscribers), pending the determination of the issues in the originating motion on notice”.
He further wants the court to “make an order of mandatory injunction firecrest at the 2nd Respondent/Respondent, the 3rd Respondent/Respondent, the 4th Respondent/Respondent to suspend the collection, storage or use of the Applicant’s personal information including his fingerprint, iris or facial pattern record or other biometric data or particulars and of other subscribers, pending the determination of the issues on the originating motion on notice.
“Any order that the honorable court may deem fit under the circumstances for the protection of the fundamental human rights and freedom of the public at large.”