The mobile phone-based money transfer system M-Pesa, which has brought mobile banking to the poor in Kenya, can be used to identify unsuspecting users, potentially compromising their privacy, Deutsche Welle reports. Grace Githaiga, a Nairobi-based ICT expert, said in order to use the system, a user must submit their ID card number and address, which in turn are transferred to an M-Pesa agent. According to Githaiga, it’s not clear where the data ends up. Additionally, a loophole in the system means users can identify other users who might otherwise wish to remain anonymous. She notes that Kenya does have pending data protection legislation, though not an existing law, “but that tells you that there’s debate around data protection, and some of these things are going to be raised in that bill.”
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