Islamabad:
The best security tsar in the country has finally taken note of the illegal sale of private data from citizens on various Internet platforms after the new Express highlighted the problem in an exclusive report. Express News had put the question in the spotlight first in October 2024.
Express News revealed on Sunday that despite its previous report, private data from Pakistani citizens – federal ministers and senior officials from ordinary people – are available for sale on various websites without any government authority does not take any measure.
According to the report, dozens of websites exist online when citizens’ data is openly listed for sale, with fixed rates. On these platforms, the location of the mobile phone is available for RS500, details of mobile data records for RS3,500 and foreign travel details for 5,000 rupees.
They also provide information related to an international mobile equipment identity number (IMEI) for RS25,000 while colorful copies of the computerized national identity cards (CNIC) of citizens are also sold on these sites.
The IMEI number is a unique code that identifies each mobile phone. Normally, it is used by telecommunications operators to record a device on the network, block stolen phones or help recovery. However, if this number falls into bad hands, it can be used badly in several ways.
One of the greatest risks of fleeing an IMEI number is follow -up. With access to telecommunications databases, criminals can use an IMEI number to draw the movements and the location of a phone.
Another danger is to clone, where the IMEI is copied to another device, allowing someone to identify a phone on the network. In some cases, a phone could even be falsely reported as stolen and blocked, which makes it useless on mobile networks.
When an IMEI number is combined with other personal information disclosed, such as copies of identity cards or call recordings, it becomes even more dangerous. The criminals can create a detailed profile of the contacts, habits and movements of a person, then exploit this data for scams, fraud or blackmail.
The report stressed that criminal groups could use this data for financial fraud, deception and people. In some cases, individuals do not even know that their identity card had been used in the unhealthy, for example, in court bond processes or fraudulent transactions involving goods.
He asked why the practice of the sale of data still did not take place despite the fact that it had already been highlighted in October 2024.
Following the dissemination of this press report, the Minister of the Interior, Mohin Naqvi, took note of the case and ordered the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to conduct an investigation.
The director general of the NCCIA then trained a special investigation team and ordered him to submit his report within 14 days. “The team was responsible for studying all aspects of data leakage, and on the basis of its results, the people involved will be identified and brought to justice,” said a spokesman for the Interior Ministry.
