The Nigerian government’s plan to collect mobile phones’ International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers for recording in the Device Management System has many Nigerians agitated.
On Friday, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) clarified that it did not say it would mandate subscribers to submit their IMEI numbers from July 2021 contrary to reports. The reports had set off the panic button in Nigerians who were on social media.
At the heart of the agitation is the fear the government would abuse citizens’ data privacy by tracking their mobile devices, spy on their data, or use it as a tool to identify citizens who have dissenting views from the government and punish them accordingly.
“If they can’t shut down the internet because of public outcry, they can use IMEI to mass-block access to the network by region. It is called IMEI blacklisting,” said @ayemojubar, a Nigerian Twitter user.
The government’s plan is contained in the Revised National Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration released in May to among other things implement a robust SIM identity management solution for effective implementation of the federal government directive on mandatory use of National Identification Number (NIN).
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According to a statement from the NCC, the IMEI number will only be collected when the Device Management System (DMS) becomes operational.
The DMS is also known as the implementation of a Centralized Equipment Identity Register ( CEIR). It serves as a repository or database for keeping records of all registered mobile phones’ International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) and owners of such devices.
For Nigeria, the main objective is to curtail the counterfeit mobile phone market, discourage mobile phone theft, enhance National Security, protect consumer interest, increase revenue generation for the government, reduce rate of kidnapping, mitigate the use of stolen phones for crime, and facilitate blocking or tracing of stolen mobile phones and other smart devices.
The IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) is a unique number assigned to every mobile phone sold via official channels. Think of it as your phone’s fingerprint — it’s a 15-digit number unique to each device.
The IMEI number is in different places depending on the device.
For IOS Apple, Android, Windows or basic phone devices, follow these simple steps to find your unique IMEI number. For a Google Pixel, dial *# 06# on your phone’s keyboard to get the IMEI number. For phones with a removable battery, some IMEI numbers are listed on a sticker under the battery on the back of the phone.
A mobile phone can have more than one IMEI number depending upon the number of SIMS it has to work with. Nowadays, dual sim mobile phones are common and you can see 2 IMEI numbers for those phones.
Phone carriers and manufacturers share IMEI numbers to enable tracking of smartphones that may be stolen or compromised.
Police usually require you to mention the IMEI number when reporting your phone as stolen and, then, depending upon the local laws, your phone can be blocked from accessing networks or placing calls by blacklisting its IMEI.
In the Revised National Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration, the NCC says it plans to share IMEIS that were reported stolen through the DMS to all the operators and service providers.
“The purpose is to ensure that such devices do not work even if different SIM Cards are inserted in those devices. DMS will also provide access to all operators to cross-check the IMEIS and their status before allowing a device to become active on their network. Furthermore, registered mobile phone technicians will also be provided with an interface to check IMEIS and ensure it has not been reported as stolen or illegal before they render their technical services,” the policy read.
The implementation and management of the DMS to achieve the policy objectives rest with the NCC.
It should be said that Nigeria is not the only country that collects IMEI numbers. Many countries make use of IMEI numbers to reduce the effect of mobile phone thefts. The United Kingdom has the Mobile Telephones (Reprogramming) Act which makes it an offence to change the IMEI of a phone, or possessing Equipment that can change it..
Some UK Police forces, including the Metropolitan Police Service, actively check IMEI numbers of phones found involved in crime. However, to obtain IMEI the UK government needs a court order.
