Pre-Registered Sim Cards: A Threat To National Security

Today, security is of topmost priority in almost all countries. And one key element of security today is mobile communication. In Ghana, however, the story is very different. All that you need to own a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card is GH₵1.00 or GH₵2.00. There is no identification required. You would be told, “The chips are registered already”. No valid registration is required.

One question that bothers my mind is the particulars used in registering these pre-registered SIM cards: whose are they?

The practice poses a great treat to our security as a nation. For instance, on the night of Sunday January 17 2010, there was the spread of a false rumor about a supposedly imminent earthquake. The false alert sent thousands away from their comfortable beds craving for spaces on the streets and other open places. How amazing it was that night. I could just imagine someone abandoning his luxurious ‘five star bed’ to compete with the homeless over their airy abode.

The media used to echo the rumor were text messages and voice calls. Mobile communication triggered the spread of such a false alert. What had happened on the night was to serve as a clue to us. It is now over seven years since that incidence; but there is a question for us: “Have we learnt our lessons?”

The security services, Ministries of Interior, Defense, and Communication, as well as the Parliament of Ghana seem oblivious of the definite future woes of the practice of pre-registering SIM cards in the country. This activity poses a very great threat to the nation’s security and much a concern today that the mandated authorities need to tackle promptly.

Considering the pace of rapid growth in communication, especially on WhatsApp and other social media platforms, the threat posed by the practice of pre-registering of SIM cards is very high. Now, it is not just text or call – and there is the need to securitize the system to be able to identify every SIM card with a particular subscriber.

Pre-registration of SIM cards by the various communication companies is non-visionary and a major threat to national security. We must stand and start to fight now. The earlier, the better!

God bless Ghana!
Christ is coming: repent and prepare!
By: Rich Akpalu (E-mail: [email protected] ).